


There is magic in this World

by reveetoile



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Alternate Universe - Magic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-22
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2020-07-11 13:17:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 50,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19928692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reveetoile/pseuds/reveetoile
Summary: Nino finds out he is a wizard; his family is not, so he gets an older student’s family who helps him and his family navigate in this new world.





	1. First Sight

"Kazu, can you come down for a second?” 

Nino ran down the stairs to get to the living room where his mother and his father were waiting for him as fast as his legs could carry him. He was curious as to what his parents wanted from him. Kazu came to a stop in front of and blinking up to a big older man in the middle of their living room. His head tilted to one side as he curiously watched the man who looked a bit like an elderly grandfather. 

He bopped his head as he realised that he was staring and mumbled a shy greeting before standing straight again and climbing onto the sofa beside his parents. The older man’s eyes followed him, and Nino was sure that there were a gentle smile and a twinkle of amusement to be seen in his eyes. Nino sighed in relief at that. At least, he wasn’t in trouble for not greeting an elderly more politely. 

“Hello, you must be Kazunari-kun?” the man asked. Nino nodded in answer with a wrinkled nose. He didn’t like hearing his full name that much. It was so long, and his parents only used it whenever he did something wrong. 

“Yes,” he answered with a small nod when he felt his mother chuckling beside him in slight amusement. He was still confused as to who this man was and why he was here. 

“Nice to meet you then. Everybody calls me Johnny, so it’s fine if you do the same,” he said. 

Nino nodded again as he tried to remember where he had heard that name before. But he hasn’t. This man was completely foreign for him, which made the figure more interesting but at the same time more threatening as well. Nino had never been all too good with unfamiliar people. 

“You see, Kazunari, I have very happy news for you.”

Nino nodded as he bit his face, still slightly nervous but now also quite curious about it all. 

“You are a wizard. That means that you can use magic. Not very many people can do that, so this is a special thing for you to be able to do that,” he explained. His eyes wandered nervously to his parents, but they were still calm, so that meant at least that he hadn’t done anything bad. 

“Magic like in stories?” he asked when the man looked at him for a while. 

“Yes, a little bit like that. And for you to learn it, you are allowed to go to an extraordinary school.”

“I go to kindergarten,” Nino said with a shake of his head. He was still too little to go to school like his big sister after all. 

His mother chuckled softly at those words and ran her fingers through his hair, putting a strand of hair behind his ear. 

“But you are entering school in April because you have already grown so much,” she explained with an amused smile. 

Kazu nodded with big eyes as he remembered the talk from a few weeks ago when his parents had sat him down to tell him all about school and that they would need to go shopping for school supplies. 

“Yes, I am a big boy now,” he grinned happily. The man chuckled slightly, making his presence known once more.

“Yes, and for such big boys with your abilities, we have an excellent school where you can start from April on. If your parents allow you to come to us, of course, and if you want.”

“May I?” he asked his parents who nodded softly. Johnny had already explained to them the dangers of not schooling his abilities, and they wanted for their son to be safe and only the very best. 

“If you want,” his mother agreed, and even his father nodded. Nino grinned as he turned around to the man to agree to come to this very special school. It would be cool to do the things wizards could do in movies and books he was allowed to read/watch.

“Okay, I have to go, but I will send a mother of one of our older students to you to help you sort everything out. Because Kazunari is the first wizard in your family, he will have a student for the first years who helps him around,” the director explained with a smile. He came closer and held out his hand for Nino to shake. 

“I’m looking forward to seeing you soon in Mahoutokoro, Kazunari. Be a good boy and listen to your parents ne?”

“Yup!” he nodded with a bright grin as he shook his hand.

—

Kazu watched his mother cleaning their small house in a frenzy. They would get visitors today, and Nino was not allowed to use his game boy for as long as they were here. So he sat on the floor with Haru - his dog - on his knees stroking his soft fur. 

“Kazu, can you change into the things I put out for you?” his mother asked for the tenth time.

A frown appeared on his face as he looked up. “I don’t like those clothes. Wearing them feels strange and not right. Why can’t I just wear these? They are fine, look, they are not dirty or torn,” Kazu whined as he pulled at his shirt that was indeed clean and fresh out of his wardrobe. It had a print of his favourite anime in the front, and he felt much more comfortable in that than in the dress shirt and trousers his mother had chosen for him. The collar was to tight, and the shirt felt stiff on his skin. 

He could see that his mother wanted to argue once again, but then a commotion happened at their fireplace. His mother moved around before motioning Nino over to her. “Come here, Kazu. Our visitors will be coming,” she said.

Kazu didn’t want to come close as he felt slightly scared, but with Haru at his side he stood and came to his mother who put an arm around his shoulders, slightly caressing the small of his neck which always calmed him down. He pressed against the woman as he saw a light appear in the opening with big eyes. There was a strange tingle running through his body at the feeling of magic surrounding them suddenly, and a second later, two figures stepped out of the smoke.

Nino hid behind his mother to peek out from there to look at the woman and a boy a bit older than him. Nino could see they were mother and son since they both had the same warm look in their eyes and slightly chubby cheeks.

The woman bowed down in front of his mother, making the boy do the same, which made Nino giggle just slightly. He hid again when the eyes of the boy fell onto his figure to be in a safe distance from those dark eyes. 

“Ninomiya-san thank you for allowing us to come for a visit. I’m Ohno Satomi, and this is my son Ohno Satoshi. Nice to meet you,” she said with a pleasant smile.

“Thank you for agreeing with tutoring me and my son Ohno-san. I’m Ninomiya Kazuko, and this is my son Kazunari. I was visited by headmaster Johnny two weeks ago and told that my son was able to do magic,” she said as she pushed Nino to the front, putting both of her hands on his shoulders. “We were quite surprised by that information since nobody of my family before was able to do that,” she added as Kazu bowed his head to stare at his feet. He could feel his ears getting hot under the stare of the others.

The woman grinned amused as she saw how shy the boy had become and nudged her son softly into his direction. “Your dog looks like it wants to go out. How about Satoshi and you go take her for a walk while I talk with your mother about boring adult stuff?” she offered. 

Haru perked up when he realised the woman was talking about him and prodded close to Nino’s side. “Haru is a boy,” he mumbled cheeks still flushing. He had liked the name and had thought that Haru was a girl when he found him. The name had stuck, but he was sometimes made fun of the fact that he had mistaken Haru’s gender. 

“He is cute,” Satoshi said as he came over like his mother had told him to do and held out his hand for Nino. “Let’s go? Adult stuff is boring; you don’t want to listen to them.”

Nino looked at his mother, who nodded softly and ruffled his hair. Nino remembered that she had promised him his favourite dinner if he behaved, so he took the hand of the other man and led him outside while whistling for Haru to follow them. 

They walked a while through the neighbourhood, Satoshi looking around with a smile on his face while he held Nino’s hand in his own. Ohno’s hand was big and warm around Nino’s, and he felt better the longer they went. “How did you come through our chimney? Are you like Santa?”

Ohno bit his lip to stop the giggle that wanted to escape him, but he didn’t want to make Nino think he laughed about him. He merely found that innocent question very cute. “It’s a way how wizards travel,” he explained. “We live a few cities over, but Johnny asked us if we are fine with visiting you. My mother can’t use a car.”

“Huh?” Kazu mumbled, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Can mum and I travel like that?”

“You could go for your mother, it will be a bit more complicated, but my mom is there to help. You are the only wizard in your family, right?”

Kazu shrugged a bit at that question. He didn’t know about that, but he supposed Ohno was right. He had never heard of wizard outside of fairy tales before after all. 

“That’s why we are here. In school, I’ll show you around and help you if you need help and if you want, of course. It can get a bit overwhelming there all alone. And my mother and father will help your parents with anything that they might not know. 

“Is school scary?” Kazu asked with a small frown. He had thought daycare was very scary and he didn’t look forward to being with all the older children as well. He enjoyed being one of the oldest in daycare right now.

“It isn’t there are many friends,” Ohno said with a calm smile. “And you know me, now right?”

Kazu nodded but then shuffled his feet slightly. “Only Haru wants to be my friend, though. And Haru isn’t allowed at school, right?”

“Sadly not, but you will see him each evening.” 

Kazu nodded but blinked when Ohno softly tugged at his hand and made him turn around so that they were face to face. Ohno knelt to be able to look into his downwards eyes with a bright grin. “And the friends part. I can be your friend if you want? You are cute, and I like you,” Satoshi offered. 

Kazu’s eyes widened at his words, and he looked at the earnest eyes of the other just so that he could make sure that Ohno wasn’t making fun of him. “You want to be my friend? But I can’t do anything,” he said with a small frown. “And I’m only little.”

“I’m sure that you’ll be able to do anything if you want and you’ll learn all the things in school.” Ohno laughed softly as he looked into the hopeful eyes. “And as I said: I think you are adorable. I don’t mind that you are still small you’ll grow and it’s nice to be friends with someone smaller than me. You are the perfect height for a cuddle, and I like cuddles, don’t you?”

“I like cuddles,” Kazu agreed shyly. “I’d like to be your friend,” he added then. “And it would be nice if you were at school helping me.” The school didn’t sound as scary when he thought that Ohno might be there. 

Ohno grinned as he shook their hands as he promised him they would be friends for forever from now on. Kazu smiled brightly, giggling when Haru came over nudging the boys again because he was bored waiting for them. 

They started walking again, Ohno buying them an ice-cream as it was getting warm with their hands still clasped between them. 

“Can you really do magic?”

“Yep, really.”

“Can you show me?”

“When we are back at yours. We are not allowed to use magic outside of school or our home. It’s a secret that we exist.”

Kazu frowned deeply as he looked up at him. “Why?”

“Because some people are scared of wizards and what we can do. I don’t understand either, but my mother and all the teachers always make sure we know not to do it.”

Kazu nodded in understanding. He was reminded of the slight bullying in daycare from the older boys, and he thought that he understood if others were scared of that as well. “How’s school?”

“It’s on the island Iwo Jima, do you know that island?” 

Kazu shook his head with a frown. It sounded far away, which scared him. “Isn’t it in Tokyo? How will I get there?”

“No, it isn’t. It’s on that island because normal people won’t go there. It will be explained to you later,” he said when Kazu opened his mouth again to ask about that. He didn’t think that Nino needed to know about wars and everything just yet. 

“So mum can’t go there?”

“Not alone, no. But don’t worry. As I said, you will be home each evening. From first grade up to fifth grade, you will go to a special place close to your home each morning with your parents. Witches and wizards handle it. From there you will travel to school on giant storm petrels. It’s fun!” Ohno said with a bright grin. “I will come with you for the first time. My mother will bring me where you will have to go each day. In the evening we’ll be brought back home.”

“Oh… What after that?”

“Then we will stay there in the long term and come home for the holidays. We will be allowed to get pets then as well. There are a few kinds allowed, but that will also be explained later. So don’t you worry. You’ll see Haru still lots of times.”

Kazu nodded as he looked at Haru, beckoning him over. “We should go home.”

“Yep, my mother told me we are having dinner at yours, and then next week we’ll take you to a wizard shopping mile to get stuff for school. It’ll be fun.”

“Okay,” Kazu agreed with a small smile, being happy with the thought that he might see Ohno again soon. He liked how easily Ohno talked to him as if they were equal and not as if Kazu was a stupid little boy. 

At home, his mother hugged him lovingly with a smile. “Did you enjoy the walk?”

“Yes, Oh-chan bought us ice-cream,” he told her with a bright grin, making Ohno chuckle behind him because of the nickname. 

“Oh, so you don’t need dessert today?” 

“I want dessert please,” Kazu whined then. His mother laughed as he led them to the kitchen, where she had prepared dinner already for them to eat. Kazu waved to Ohno happily when they said goodbye, deciding that school was going to be fun if it meant being with the older boy even more.


	2. Sunset

Nino hid his face at Ohno’s chest after they climbed onto the back of the big storm petrel. He could feel Ohno chuckling slightly from where he was pressed against him and shortly after he felt his arms around his hips holding him safely. 

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?”

Nino shook his head but didn’t want to look up just yet. “I’m not.”

“Okay, if you say so,” Ohno said with a small shrug as he held him softly with just one arm. The other went to the feathers of the petrel stroking it for a moment. “Thank you for letting us ride you,” he said, nudging Nino softly. “You should thank it as well. It works hard.”

Nino peaked up at him at those words before he looked down at the dark feathers of the petrel. He stretched his fingers softly and stroke the surprisingly soft feathers. The bird made a noise clicking his beak as they were cleared by the witch that had led Nino inside. Ohno had been already waiting for him just as he had promised him. 

“Thank you for carrying us,” he parroted.

Ohno patted his head, praising him and tightened his arms around his waist again. “Hold on carefully the first take-off always surprises people.”

Nino nodded as he silently apologised to the bird as his fingers tightened in the plumage as the bird started to run and then suddenly they were in the air. His eyes widened as he looked around curiously. 

It was breathtaking and beautiful to see this all, and he would never have thought he could see something like that. The flight was over soon, and they arrived at the school. Nino’s eyes wandered over the palace made of jade and white stone. It was beautiful, and Nino couldn’t believe that this was supposed to be school. 

He could feel Ohno’s hand on the small of his back as they walked closer to the entry where teachers were waiting for them, greeting them with smiles and asked them to all come to the grand hall for the first day of school. They would get their class schedules today, and the new students would be welcomed officially now. Nino held Ohno’s hand tightly in his own, wanting him to be close to him but Ohno left him when he brought him to the hall to stand in between a few people his age. 

“I go over there to the four-year students,” he explained. Don’t be scared, ne?” he asked Nino who nodded with a small smile. He had been the only one being accompanied by an older student he saw, but Johnny and Ohno had explained to him that only those born by normal humans had someone like Ohno for the first year here. 

Nino knew that he probably was supposed to feel embarrassed, but Oho was so nice to him and warm and safe that he honestly didn’t care. 

—

Nino listened patiently and curiously to the explanation of the headmaster for the school year. He told them also what was allowed and what not. After the speech, the older students got their class schedules, and Ohno came over to him for a bit. He rubbed Nino’s cheek with a giggle to make the serious-looking boy laugh. “Have fun on your first day. We can have lunch together, okay? I know where the first years have their classes so I will wait for you there.”

“Okay, thank you, Oh-chan,” he said happily hugging him for a second. Ohno chuckled softly before caressing his head and then leaving with a hurried wave to not miss the rest of his class as they were told to hurry. 

Nino looked after the older students for a bit who were all talking to each other happily, exchanging what they did during holidays while leaving the big hall and leaving the first years behind. 

The first years exchanged nervous looks when they were all alone, and Nino felt more comfortable to see that he was not the only one feeling a bit scared to be here now.

The teachers left one after the other, and their headmaster wished them a nice first day before leaving as well. Nino watched the woman in front of them with curious eyes as she stood in front of them. 

“You are all very welcome for today. I know first days are scary, but we will have fun today,” the woman promised them before ushering them to stand in line as two to follow her. “I will show you the first year’s classroom and everything you need to know. As you can see, here is the hall. We’ll meet here for lunch every day. The place where you all arrived this morning will be where you have to go each day after school as well to get home. Each floor has its bathrooms, and yours are here,” she explained, pointing at two doors. 

Nino looked around curiously while trying not to run in the children in front of him when they suddenly stopped. But the boy beside him - with really impressive eyebrows - Nino observed as he looked to the side, grabbed his hand to stop him. Nino smiled gratefully at him which the other reciprocated a bit shyly. 

“Here is your classroom for this year. Over the weeks you will get to know a bit more of the school as you move from classroom to classroom for your lessons, but first, we will learn the basics only here. Find your names on the desks and sit down.

They all shuffled inside the room Nino finding his desk beside the window. The boy that had been beside him sat down on his side. Nino was glad about that. This boy had seemed to be friendly after all. 

First, the teacher told them to introduce each other, and they played a few games to get to know each other better. In Nino’s year, there were eight students, so it was easy for him to remember the names quite fast. When they started with the first writing exercises, Nino realised that most of the others hadn’t gone to any daycare yet and so not gotten any practise as he had. As he had been scared that he would be the dumb or slow one, he was relieved and a tiny bit proud when the teacher praised his writing skills. 

“Break time. You are allowed to talk to each other and play around for a bit until the next lesson starts,” Nakamura-san told them while she checked if everybody copied the letters cleanly and put their things away. Nino put his stuff in the bag beside his desk, bringing out his water bottle to drink a bit. 

“Did your parents teach you how to write?” Jun asked curiously. 

Nino shook his head as he swang his legs forth and back. He was still a bit too small to reach the ground properly. “The sensei in daycare did,” he said as he tilted his head. “We all had to learn to prepare for school.”

Jun nodded in understanding as he looked him over with wide eyes. “Your parents aren’t wizards?” he asked finally. Nino looked down a bit at the question before shaking his head. 

“The headmaster visited and told them I was different from normal people,” he said with a tiny voice.

“Oooooh,” Jun breathed surprised. “Who was the boy you were with this morning?”

“Oh-chan! He is my friend,” Nino said a bit more brightly. He liked that he was allowed to call the older boy his friend, and he was quite proud that he was allowed to do so. 

“Matsumoto-kun? Can you come over here for a second?” Nakamura suddenly called making Nino and Jun look up in confusion. Nino’s eyes widened as he saw that a few of his classmates now wore the pink robes that Ohno had told him about. Their teacher laughed softly at their look before saying Nino that he could come over just as well if he wanted as he was the next in line anyway.

Nino slid from his chair fast to follow Jun to the front and to another room where their teacher led them to. “I will give your robes now and then I will enchant them. You will wear them for the whole time you are coming here. They will repel any dirt from them and grow as you grow. As you have seen with the others, your robes will be soft pink.”

The boys nodded as they looked at the robes that were handed to them. Nino put his robe on, trying not to frown as they pooled on the floor and went over his fingertips. He glanced at Jun, trying hard not to giggle as he realised that it wasn’t any better on the other boy. They were both the smallest in their class, after all. Jun mock glared at him before he giggled as well. They looked stupid. 

Nakamura-sensei smiled a bit as she waved her hand while murmuring a few spells. Nino felt strange as the magic ran over his body, and he couldn’t help himself feeling a bit uncomfortable. Jun looked utterly ordinary as if he had experienced such a thing already a few times. “The pink symbolises the cherry blossoms and that for a new start. The colours will change the more you learn so be diligent. If you break any magical laws, those will turn white outing you directly. This means that you will not be allowed to be back here and are stripped of any magic. Depending on what you did and how old you are, the punishments might be worse.”

“Scary,” Jun mumbled. 

“It’s to ensure your and our safety. The headmaster explained what you are not allowed to do?”

Nino nodded as he looked up. “No telling others than my family, no using magic outside of school until I’m older and not in front of people who can’t use magic,” he repeated. 

“And not using any dark magic or spells that are forbidden,” Jun added. Nino blinked but agreed as they were allowed to leave the room once again. 

He wanted to ask Jun about forbidden spells since he didn’t know there were any, but Nakamura-sensei entered the room a second after them and asked them to calm down again. The teacher moved their wand with a smile, and Nino gasped when the wand that he had tried at the wandmaker shop and felt amazing swinging around appeared in front of his face. 

“We will start now with an easy spell, and I will show you how to handle the wands. After this lesson, I will collect them again. They will be kept here for safety reason for your first year.”

Nino nodded with the rest and then listened carefully to the instructions while he tried to copy everything. There was still worry in him that something would be wrong when he tried to use magic. But it felt right to hold the wand and swing it around. He gasped excitedly when sparks erupted from the tip of the wand, and Nino relaxed instantly. So he did something right after all.

The lesson was over way too fast, Nino thought a bit sad when Nakamura-sensei told them to put their wands down, and they vanished shortly after. The woman clapped her hands when she was finished. “Lesson is over that means you can go have your lunch.”

Nino jumped off his chair at those words to go to the door. He wanted to tell Ohno about everything he did. 

“Do you want to have lunch together?” Jun asked suddenly, and Nino turned in surprise. He blinked at the question, and it took a second until he nodded.

“But I have lunch with Oh-chan as well. You can come with us?” he offered. 

Jun bit his lip but nodded finally. “If it’s okay with Ohno-senpai.”

“I think so!” Nino promised as he took his hand and pulled him along. Just as promised Ohno was in front of the door, smiling warmly when Nino left the room. 

“Oh-chan can Jun-kun eat with us?” Nino asked as Jun bopped his head a bit nervously. 

“Of course. You already made a friend then?” Ohno asked as he greeted Jun with a smile.

“Jun-kun sits beside me,” Nino answered, looking at Jun.

“Sounds like fun. Ready to head for the hall? Because I’m hungry.”

“Yes!” the boys answered with bright grins before they followed Ohno who took Nino’s hand in his own, leading him to a table. 

Nino’s eyes were wide as he saw all the things on the tables as he sat down. “So much food,” he said softly.

Ohno smiled as he poured cold tea to their glasses. “Just take anything you like.”

Nino nodded as he looked at the food over and chose something he liked. He could hear his mother scolding him inside his head as he didn’t take any vegetables. With a little sigh, he chose something of that as well and then started to eat with the others.

Nino told Ohno everything they had done and how fun it had been to produce those sparkles before he remembered Jun’s words about dark magic. He frowned as he stopped talking suddenly.

“What’s wrong, Nino?”

“Jun-kun mentioned forbidden magic. Are there things that are forbidden?”

Ohno hummed a little before he sighed. “Yes, sadly, there are. You know, where there are good things there is bad. And as we can heal or make things appear, we can also use magic to force others to do what we want or to kill. Those are forbidden to use, though. And there are spells that to work you have to use fresh blood of newborns or animals and other things that might kill innocent souls.”

Nino blinked as his mouth dropped open and his eyes were wide. “That sounds scary.”

“Yes, and we won’t be taught them so don’t worry too much ne?”

Nino nodded at those words with a frown. He hadn’t thought of such things. He looked down at his food, feeling slightly scared at ever seeing people use such things on others. Ohno sighed before moving forwards and ruffling his hair, making him look up. 

“Really, Nino. Nothing bad has happened in years, that’s why all the regulations are for, please don’t be scared.”

“But what if there is somebody that wants to use them?”

“If there is, I will protect you of them, okay? And Jun-kun as well, of course,” he added when he realised that the other boy had gone a bit pale as well. 

“Promise?” Nino asked carefully. 

“Yes, I promise. So don’t be scared, okay?”

Nino looked at him, but a few seconds later, his smile was back, and he finally finished his lunch. The rest of the lessons went by fast, and soon enough Nino was standing outside with Jun at his side, waiting for Ohno to arrive. The older boy was beside him soon enough ruffling his hair softly. “Time to get you home,” he said as he helped Nino on the petrel. 

Nino leant against the older as he waved to Jun who was claiming on a petrel himself with a bright smile. “Until tomorrow, Jun-kun!”

Jun waved back, and soon enough, the bird took flight. Ohno’s hands were warm around him, and Nino felt lucky to be in his care. “Nino look down,” Ohno whispered against his ear making him shiver slightly as he looked down to where Ohno pointed. His eyes widened when he saw the setting sun behind the jade palace that would be his school from now on. It looked otherworldly and so much more like a fairytale than reality, and Nino had to pinch himself secretly to make sure he was not just dreaming it all. 

Nino could feel Ohno’s warm chuckle against his cheek at his action and his arms tighten around him. “You’re not dreaming,” he promised him.


	3. Hunger

"I'm hungry," Nino whined as he dragged Jun out of their classroom. Jun rolled his eyes slightly at his words but allowed Nino to drag him around. 

"How come?"

"Don't know… Classes were hard today. My stomach is empty now and all grumbling," Nino said in a slightly bad mood as they entered the great hall. He looked back at Jun who forced himself not to react to Nino's look in any way. 

Nino had been in a bad mood most of the day because Ohno wasn't in school. Something happened in his family that he had to attend. Nino and Ohno had come to school together until the start of this school year. Now Ohno stayed in the dorms. Nino always ran up to him to greet him in the hall before they headed to their separate classrooms.

Jun would say it was cute if it wasn't so annoying today. He had never thought that Nino was so dependent on Ohno. Their first year was over now, and Nino was, in general, more dependent in this school, and it was easier for him to move around. His robes had changed their colour just slightly, but it had made Nino happy to see that he was learning at least a bit. Ohno liked to tease him that he imagined things though, which of course made Nino pout spectacularly. He was sure his robes had gotten darker. 

"Will Ohno-san be back tomorrow?" Jun asked as they sat at a free table. 

"Don't know and don't care," Nino grumbled as he tapped on the table, glaring down at the still empty top. 

Jun hid a giggle behind his hands as he leant back. Their class had been allowed out early because there had been an accident with a potion, so they were a bit too early for lunch. 

"Jun?"

"Yes?"

"When will we learn more about magic and how to control it?" Nino asked, looking up from the table curiously. They learnt only a few spells with their wands until now. They had learnt how to move their hands while using the wands and take care of them, but there hadn't been many spells they were allowed to use yet, nor very exciting ones.

Jun shrugged a little as he looked around the grand hall. "When the time comes."

Kazu frowned at his answer, kicking him slightly under the table. "Satoshi said, he can do a few spells already when we met. He was only a year older!"

Jun rubbed his shin as he rolled his eyes. "Yes, but you do realise that some of us can't write and read perfectly yet? I know from my mum that first years are supposed to have mostly the same curricular as every other child in Japan. This year we will learn more about magic. Sensei said so as well."

Nino sighed as he pulled at his hair slightly. It had gotten long, but there was neither time nor money for them to go to a hairdresser. His face darkened slightly as he remembered the last argument his parents had.

Soon after he had started school, his father had gotten strange. He often looked at him oddly and if things happened - which did a lot now that he was slowly training his magical abilities - he would scold him severely, telling him he was not normal. Nino had hated it, but he had tried to hide how his father behaved around him. He didn't want his mother to be mad at him as well. 

Still, his mother had found out during the last holidays, and Nino felt terrible when there had been a loud argument all about him. 

He rubbed his eyes in annoyance when he felt the sting of tears in his eyes. His mother had divorced his father after he had hit Nino and to make sure that the wizard community was safe, the wizard community had taken all the memories of him from his father. It hurt to know that his father didn't remember him now and probably hated him if he would remember. 

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, sorry I was miles away," Nino sighed playing with the hem of his robe. He hadn't told Jun about it all. Only Satoshi knew, and that was only because his mother had called Ohno's family in tears to ask for their help and Ohno had come over with his mother when he heard. He was slightly ashamed that his father felt that way about him; he didn't want to be abnormal. 

"It's okay. Oh look, the food is ready," Jun said when menus appeared for them to choose from. Nino smiled as he decided his favourite hamburger dish feeling his bad mood disappear slowly. 

—

"Do you want to sit outside?"

Nino shrugged before he nodded. They had a free lesson which they wanted to use for studying for their history homework. "I like it inside more," Nino said in a weak attempt to stay. 

Jun rolled his eyes as he pulled him up. "I want to go out. It's summer, the weather is nice, and we are inside all day," he disagreed. Nino grumbled but followed him outside. 

They sat down on the green grass close to the doors of the school. Nino was still saying that it was more logical to study inside when Jun pulled out a huge book. "Stop whining and help me finish the report."

Nino sighed as he finally got more comfortable beside Jun to look into the book over his shoulder. He liked History of Magic mostly (same with Japanese History), but he was in a bad mood today and couldn't help himself. 

Soon enough though he was occupied with the articles, they had to read and was taking notes on a parchment carefully so that they would be able to write the report together later on. It was calming to be outside, Nino thought after a while of laying down side by side with Jun talking in low voices and enjoying the fresh breeze. 

Nino played with the pen he was holding as he looked over the cliff at the other side. "I'm sorry for being mardy, Jun," he said finally. 

Jun shrugged at his words and sidled up a bit closer. "It's fine but did something happen? You are like this since after holidays. I thought it was because Ohno-san isn't flying with you anymore."

"It was fun flying with Satoshi, but I know that I see him here daily… Okay, not today since he is home but normally."

"Why is he home?"

Nino shrugged with a frown. Ohno didn't tell him yet, but he had looked very sad when he told him yesterday that he wouldn't be in school today and perhaps for a few more days. 

"He didn't tell. I didn't ask because he didn't look like he wanted to tell me," Nino said with a frown on his face. It hurt that Ohno didn't tell him when something was bothering him, Nino realised confused. He didn't understand why it was so easy for him to be affected by Ohno's doing. 

"But that's not why you are upset?"

Nino bit his lips as he shook his head again. "My father hates me. Mum told him to leave because he hurt me," Nino said, staring right to the horizon. He didn't want to see Jun's face right now. 

"I'm sorry," Jun said with a grimace. Nino was surprised at the genuine tone of voice of the other without any trace of disgust Nino had thought there might be. Jun sidled up even closer to put an arm around him. 

Nino stiffened for a second, it was seldom that Jun would do anything like that but soon his shoulders relaxed and he hid his face against Jun's shoulder. He still felt so sad when he thought of his father. "It's my fault, probably." It was more of a question than a statement. 

"I don't think so," Jun said with a frown before moving back a little. "I don't know. But Sho-kun always says that if anybody is at fault for problems in a family, it's the parents. So I think it's your father's fault. It's not good to hit children also," he disagreed.

"Who is Sho-kun?"

"A friend," Jun said with a small blush. "He is in Ohno-san's class."

"How come I don't know him?" Nino asked with a frown on his face. 

Jun looked at him before he started laughing. "Because you only see Ohno-san at lunch," he teased. "Sho-kun sat at our table a few times. He is friends with my family, and he helped me in the holidays to study. I told you about him, and you talked to him."

Nino blushed furiously when he only very slowly remembered a face and very sloppy shoulder that was with them sometimes. "Really?"

"Yep, you are awful," Jun said with a giggle. Nino pouted as he shoved him slightly to jump to his feet. 

"Am not."

"Are too," Jun answered as he got up as well with a smirk. Nino grinned wickedly before sticking out his tongue. 

"Nope, I'm perfect and much better than you," he said arrogantly before running away when Jun roared in playful anger and started to hunt him with a laugh. Yes, they should study adequately and not play around but being in school all day was stressful, and they were still children.

Nino felt much lighter somehow than he had for days, and it was fun to tease Jun and run around with him over the grounds of their school. The report could wait just a little bit longer, he decided as he fled from Jun and did his best not to get caught. 

—

"You can't catch me," Nino yelled over his shoulder as he watched Jun jumping over a few holes in the ground. 

He didn't look where he was going until he suddenly ran straight into a solid body. "Uh," he groaned as he stumbled and almost fell if not for the hands on his hips, holding him up. He felt the heat rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment as he apologised in a rush just to be stopped by a soft chuckle. 

He blinked as he recognised the voice, looking up to be face to face with Ohno. "Satoshi!" he cried out in joy as he jumped up and hugged him around his neck. "You're back."

Ohno laughed as he held him steady and petted his head as they were stable again. "You sound as if I have been away for weeks, not just a few hours," he teased him. 

Nino blushed a little but couldn't deny his words. "I missed you."

Ohno smiled softly as he held him close for a second before greeting Jun as well. "What are you two up to out here?"

"We were studying for History of Magic," Jun mumbled slowly. Ohno lifted his eyebrow but didn't say anything. It was clear that they had been playing around just now. 

"I see. Do you need help?"

"Don't you have to be in class?"

"Nah, the headmaster told me I'm free of any classes for today," Ohno answered as he put an arm around Nino's shoulders to force him to go back more slowly. 

"Why have you been home?" Nino asked before he could stop himself. "Is everything okay?"

Ohno smiled as he bopped his nose a bit. "You are a very curious little brat," he said before shrugging. "And yes, it's okay now. My grandmother was ill, but they could help her in the hospital. So no need to worry."

Kazu nodded as they followed Jun in a more sedate way. He didn't understand why Ohno would be allowed home just because a family member was ill, but he didn't want to question Ohno's words. 

Ohno hugged the smaller boy close for a second with a small smile. There had been fear that his grandmother would die, but for now, the healers at the hospital were able to help her. He sat down with the younger ones looking over the part they needed to cover and then offered them a few pointers as he watched them do their homework. 

—

Nino snuggled close to Ohno when Jun left them alone to get something to drink for all of them. He sighed softly and closed his eyes. 

"How are you feeling?" Ohno asked softly as he played with his hair, smiling a bit when Nino let out sounds that were suspiciously close to a purr. Kazu was like a little kitten right now, and Ohno liked him very much like that. 

"Better, I think. Mum is getting better, and she doesn't swear as much anymore," he said with a bright grin on his face. He was happy that his mother wasn't sad anymore because of how his father had reacted to him.

"And you?"

"I still have bad dreams," Kazu said after a while silently looking down on the blanket Ohno had made appear. Ohno sighed as he tightened his arms around the younger boy. 

"Did you talk to your mum?"

Kazu shook his head with a small frown. His mother felt terrible because she hadn't seen how much his father had started to hate him. "No. Mum already feels bad because of the one time she saw him hit me. I don't want to tell her that it wasn't the first time," he said as he shook his head. Never would he want to hurt his mum like that. 

"You are a very stubborn boy," Ohno mumbled as he hugged him closer for a second. He was glad that Nino had at least told him what had happened between him and his father and didn't keep all of it just for himself. 

"How was your day home?" 

"It was really fine. I was scared this morning, but it is all better now," Ohno grimaced slightly. "But I'm hungry, to be honest. I didn't eat at home because I wanted to come back soon to see you at least for a short while before you go home again."

A smile bloomed on Kazu's face at his words. He was always happy to hear that people liked him being close. He rubbed his cheek on Ohno's chest before stretching slightly. "Then let's go get a snack? Afternoon classes should be over for now," Kazu remembered and stood to hold out a hand and to help Ohno up on his feet. 

"It's over for you. I still have astronomy tonight. Urgh, I'm already tired just thinking about it," Ohno whined softly. He couldn't stand that class. Most things went over his head, and he wasn't interested in stars and what they might predict. That it was held right at midnight didn't help at all. 

"We don't have that class."

"Not yet. You will once you start the boarding school in two years," Satoshi said with a shrug as he took his hand and picked up their stuff. 

"Will I learn a lot more?"

"Yes, you will. For now, you only learn the basics."

"They are boring! I want to do real magic," Kazu whined slightly. 

Ohno rolled his eyes as he bopped his nose and looked around to find Jun somewhere in the grand hall. He didn't want the younger to go out without noticing them. "But they are important things. How will you read about spells and the harder potions if you don't learn how to read and write? And you need Maths to make sure you have the right amount of ingredients for potions as well or for Herbology," Ohno said with a small grin at Kazu's growing pout as he listed all the classes that Kazu wanted to start already. 

"We read in History."

"Yes, but only small parts. Most are told to you by the teachers."

Kazu pouted but nodded. Ohno was right after all. They got short worksheets with all the things they learnt because they didn't manage yet to take notes and listen at the same time. 

"Also you will be taught a few things normal children have to learn as well. You need to be inconspicuous when you live around them or have to work in the middle of non-magic users."

"I know, sensei said so as well, that it's all important."

"Yep, and you get to use your wand. So no reason to pout."

"There are lots of reasons to pout! We are only allowed to wave it around and flick it while saying spells that make small sparks fly. They are nice to look at, but it's boring to do the same all the time."

Ohno chuckled softly as he ruffled Kazu's hair. He had felt the same after all, but it was all essential parts for later use. Now Ohno knew, but he could understand that Kazu was unhappy with it all. "You practise the movements with a simple spell because the teachers need to make sure that you handle your wand right. If you hold it too lose it might go flying when you have to do a spell or if you hold it to tightly you might hurt yourself because the spell will backfire," Ohno said nonetheless. He knew that Kazu had been told all of that already and that it wasn't a bad thing for him to hear, but he couldn't help it. It was all the truth, after all. 

"What about magical animals, though? There are more than the petrels, right?"

"Yes there are, a few are here, and you will all learn about it in care of Magical Creatures. But that is for later as well. They are dangerous, and if you don't listen to the teachers, you might get hurt. Same with flying lessons," Ohno teased him. He grinned when Kazu crossed his arms over his chest. 

"We'll listen to the teachers plenty," he mumbled with red cheeks because he knew that they were all often too excited to listen to their teacher. Because she needed to scold them or to tell them to calm down and listen to the lesson more than once. But it was hard to do so when the lesson was boring, and one of them explained what they did the day before or the weekends or if someone failed with their Charms lesson or when a potion went wrong!

Ohno smiled as they found Jun at a table talking to Sakurai Sho. 

"Satoshi-kun you are back," Sho said with a smile when Ohno sat down, tugging Kazu to sit down beside him. 

"Yes, it was not as severe as they thought," Ohno said with a shrug as he took a sip of the tea on the table. "Did I miss much?"

"I will give you my notes later. They're in the dorms. Sorry I didn't think you were back yet."

Ohno nodded as he looked at Kazu and Jun who were discussing the rest of the report they had to hand in the next day. He shook his head with an amused grin as he listened to their groans about the length of the paper (which was only one page, Satoshi missed the time their homework was that short). In the evening Kazu and Jun waved goodbye to the elder before leaving to go finally home.


	4. Christmas

"What are you doing here alone?" Ohno asked as he entered the grand hall and found Nino sitting at the table all alone. 

"Nothing," he said with a smile, looking up from a book he was reading. Ohno frowned as he looked over his shoulder before sitting down beside him. 

"Where is Jun?"

"Jun is outside with Sakurai-kun," Nino explained. "But it's cold, and I didn't want to go with them. Look I got a hot chocolate from the kitchen," he said happily. 

"I see what are they doing outside?" 

Nino shrugged as his eyes wandered over the page before he put in a bookmark and gave his full attention to Ohno who was looking at him with some amusement. 

"I don't know. Why are you so curious?"

Ohno shrugged as he took the mug of hot chocolate to take a sip. 

"Mine," Nino whined as he poked Ohno to the side. Ohno chuckled at the attack and ruffled Nino's hair.

"It has gotten cold," he said when he bopped Nino's nose, who pouted a bit. 

"It's mine. I like it cold," he mumbled as he took a sip and tried hard not to grimace. Hot chocolate only was delicious as long as it was hot. But still, he tried to make Ohno think it was not an accident that he had forgotten it. 

"Liar," Ohno said as he poked his cheek. He pulled out his wand and tapped it against the rim of the drink in Nino's hands. Nino's eyes widened as the mug warmed up in his hands just to the temperature he liked the most.

"Thank you," Nino mumbled as he emptied his cup slowly. "Why are you here by the way?"

"Afternoon classes are cancelled as you probably know?"

"Yup. Sensei told us to enjoy ourselves. That's why Jun and Sakurai-kun went out. They wanted to walk around in the gardens. Jun wanted to collect herbs for potions."

"Oh, so you actually listened to them?" Ohno teased while he watched Nino drink his hot chocolate. 

Nino grinned cheekily at his words before sighing softly as he finished his hot chocolate. "And what do you want to do?"

"I want to go outside."

"Then have fun," Nino mumbled with a grimace. 

"I want to go with you," Ohno whined. "Come on it's Christmas."

"But there is snow." Nino almost gave a full-body shudder at the thought of cold, wet snow outside. 

Ohno giggled as he tickled him softly. "You awful brat. You won't even feel the cold. Your robes are enchanted."

Nino laughed while wriggling on top of his chair. "Okay, okay, I give up," he said huffing slightly when he was out of breath. 

Ohno smiled victoriously as he pushed Nino softly to stood up. Then he followed him and took his hand to lead him outside. 

Nino shivered slightly when the cold wind blew by them. Ohno looked over at him with a roll of his eyes, before tugging him closer and putting an arm around him. 

Nino hummed softly as he snuggled closer to Ohno's side, missing the soft look on his face. "Where will we be going?"

"It's a secret," Ohno giggled at the cute pout on Nino's face, but still he followed Ohno without question.

Ohno led him to a den which confused Nino a little bit. They were at the edge of the gardens, close to a big forest on one side of the grounds and a mountain on the other side. The younger classes were not allowed in those spaces just yet. So he hoped it was okay for him to be here if he was with Ohno. 

Ohno observed him before squeezing his shoulders softly. "I asked for allowance to take you here," he explained with a grin. "And besides we won't enter the forest so don't look so worried. The director readily agreed for me to bring you here. He said that you would follow me anyway."

Nino blushed but couldn't argue those words. Since he had met Ohno, he always tried to be close to him whenever there weren't any classes for him to attend. It often happened without him realising and even if they sat just beside each other studying and doing homework in the afternoons. He was calmer with Ohno around also, which always made Jun thankful since they often did their assignments together. 

"I still don't understand," Nino mumbled as they entered the den. He looked around curiously as he had never been in here. 

"Ah, Ohno-kun there you are."

Nino looked up as he heard the stranger's voice a bit nervously when he recognised one of their teachers. 

"Are we late, sensei?"

"No, no, don't worry Ohno-kun. And this is?"

"Ninomiya Kazunari," Nino said as he bobbed his head in greeting. 

"Nice to meet you, Ninomiya-kun."

"Nice to meet you, sensei," he said politely still close to Ohno who ruffled his hair before frowning at his red ears. They had forgotten hats, he realised. 

"Okay, so shall we start. Ninomiya-kun I know you don't have any classes with me yet, so I will explain why you are here, okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

The man smiled brightly at his words and then led them further into the hut he was staying in. Nino's eyes widened when he saw the baby Puffskeins, and he couldn't help the small coo escaping his lips. Ohno chuckled as he took hold of his wrist before Nino could wander over there. Nino looked back at him, blushing slightly when he realised what he was about to do. 

"Do you like animals, Ninomiya-kun?"

Nino nodded with a soft smile on his face. That kind of smile that always appeared when he thought of his beloved dog back at home. "I have a Shiba Inu at home. Haru stayed with me since he was a baby. I took care of him," he said proudly. Haru had been a small puppy when he got him the rut of the litter, but Kazu had instantly loved him and wanted him. His parents hadn't been too sure about it, but in the end, they had allowed him to get Haru.

"Oh, very good, then I hope that you will choose my class when you are in fifth grade," the man said with a smile. "Here, you learn how to take care of magical animals. And this year is a special case since Harumi just had babies. Since you lot should learn how to take care of them."

"It's an optional thing, though. Not all need to do it, but if we want it will be a long-time responsibility," Satoshi nodded when Nino looked confused and like he wanted to argue for a second. Ohno had talked with his parents since it was a huge responsibility to take care of an animal and a long-time thing. "Aiba-sensei made sure that we have permissions from our parents."

Their teacher nodded with a happy but also proud look on his face because of how much Nino cared. 

"Ninomiya-kun I need to get Ohno-kun settled and introduce him to Harumi and her litter. You will meet her later, but for now, it would be better if it's just one of you. But I don't want to leave you bored here."

"It's okay," Nino mumbled as he looked around to find a spot to sit and wait but their teacher led him to a door. 

"Nonsense. You can play with my grandson."

"Thanks," Nino said happily as he waved at the boy who looked up from where he was playing with two little owls. 

Aiba jumped to his feet. "Hello, who are you? I'm Aiba Masaki!"

"Ninomiya Kazunari. All call me Nino though," Nino grinned as he entered the room. "Oh-chan brought me, What were you doing?"

"Grandpa found eggs abandoned in a bird's nest and he couldn't leave them there. They hatched, and I'm allowed to take care of them. Look, they are cute, right?" Aiba said as he pulled him over to where the owls were hopping on branches. 

Aiba carefully rubbed the feathers of the bigger ones. "They are Button and Fuzzy."

"They are so small," Nino whispered as he looked at them with wide eyes. He couldn't believe how small those owls were. 

"Yes, they are Ezo Fukuros. They only grow to be this big," Aiba explained and showed him with his hands. 

"Cute," Nino whispered as he carefully stepped closer, as he tried not to spook them. 

"You can touch them. They are used to humans. When they grow up they will be letter carriers," Aiba explained and took his hand in his own. He held it out to the owls and grinned when Nino held his breathe as the owl rubbed his head against his fingers. Nino giggled at the soft feathers, and the owl hopped on his hand. 

Nino tried not to flinch when the sharp feet hooked into his skin, and the owl hopped up to his arm until it found a comfortable spot on top of his head.

"Seems like Button likes you," Aiba said with a smile. 

"Wow," Nino whispered as he peeked up, trying to look on top of his head, which was not possible at all.

Aiba giggled as he watched the owl groom itself and sometimes picking at some hair to make itself more comfortable. 

"I would give it to you as a present, but it's too small still," Aiba said as he sat down cross-legged pulling Nino down to join him. 

"Perhaps for your birthday. When is your birthday?"

"In June," Nino mumbled surprise at that overly nice offer. He hadn't met Aiba before, but he looked honest. 

"If so, then you have to come to visit until then."

"Won't I be in the way? Looking after all those animals sound like much work."

"It is, but granddad does it all alone normally. I'm allowed to help when schoolwork is done."

"Do you live here?"

"No, I live with my parents. Boarding school starts next year for me."

Nino nodded in understanding. They talked a little more with Aiba cooing when the owl fell asleep on Nino's head. The boy stood carefully and brought out a camera. "I got it from granddad for my birthday," he explained as he nibbled on his tongue telling Nino to stay still as he took the picture. 

He gave the picture to Nino who looked it over. "Thank you," he said when Aiba carefully lifted the owl to put it back into its original, nest with its twin. 

"You can have it," Aiba said softly. The door opened for Ohno and their teacher. 

"Are you having fun?" Ohno asked softly. 

"Yup!" Nino said happily as he jumped up to show him the picture. "Look, I got a friend. So cute!" he chirped. Ohno looked at the picture that was shoved in his face. It was an adorable picture, he thought. 

"Ready to meet Kairy?"

"Yup. Thanks for the time, Aiba-kun. Let's meet again?"

"Of course, you have to take care of your owl," the older boy grinned. 

Nino nodded happily hugging Ohno's arm. "Do you want to come?" he asked, but Aiba shook his head with a grin. 

"Nah I'll go home, right granddad?"

"Yes, your parents are waiting for you, I believe."

Ohno and Nino said their goodbyes before Ohno brought Nino to the room where the baby Kneazles were resting. He carefully introduced Kairy and Nino who petted the baby softly when its mother let him get to her baby. After a while, he left with Ohno for the big Christmas dinner, before they were brought home. 

— 

"Nino come let's go!" Ohno said when they finished their food. Nino blinked from his half-finished plate - he wasn't very hungry today, so he was mostly pushing his food around. Ohno and Sho had carefully looked over how much he had eaten before letting the rest slide for the day. 

"Do I have to?"

"Nino come on Button is missing you," Aiba said with a frown.

"Uhn," he said with a frown. "But I need to study!"

"Stop pouting," Jun said with an eye roll. Nino glared at him, as he nudged the other.

"Easy for you to say. You got an A!"

"Yes, and you got a B. So not bad," Jun said with a sigh. Still, Nino pouted on his chair, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

He knew he shouldn't care. He was not bad in most of the classes but rather the opposite, but he was horrible with potions, and he hated that Jun was so much better at it while having to study a lot less than he had. 

Aiba giggled at the pouty face while Sho rolled his eyes at his antics. Nino liked to celebrate when he was on top of classes and tended to pout if he was not. Jun probably had teased him earlier in classes, and now this was the outcome of that. 

In the end, it was Ohno who pulled Nino up and dragged the slightly complaining boy behind him and Aiba. 

"Aiba-shi?"

"Yes?"

"How am I supposed to look after Button when the holidays begin? I can't come here on my own," Nino said with a frown before looking at Ohno. 

"What will you do with Kairy?"

"I will take her home. She is old enough now to leave her family. After the holidays I will take her with me to the dorms."

"Can I take Haru with me to the dorms when I move?"

Ohno smiled softly as he hugged him for a second. "I don't think that Haru would like it here so much. He is used to being at your home with your mum and sister ne?"

Nino frowned unhappily but nodded. His sister was home earlier than him, and his mother was at home for most of the day. So Haru was used being with them more now than he was used being with him. Haru still slept at the foot of his bed each night though.

"Don't look like this you will still have a year going home each night," Ohno said softly. 

The frown deepened at that reminder. Now even Aiba would stay here overnight. But at least Jun had to go home each night. 

"You make the funniest faces when things don't go as you want them to," Ohno teased him giggling when Nino stuck out his tongue at him. 

Aiba smiled as he put his arm around Nino's shoulder and led him to the small forest part his grandfather tended for. "Button will stay with granddad. He will look after him. But you will need to tell him why you'll be gone," he explained. "I would say you could take him with you, but Button needs to be able to fly, and that's hard in a non-magical neighbourhood."

Nino pouted but also nodded in understanding. Ohno smiled as he ruffled his hair. "Good and we'll meet in the holidays again. Just like the last years."

"Okay," Nino still pouted, but it changed into a bright smile when Button gave a pleasant sound and flew down to him as soon as he saw him. 

"Button!" Nino said happily as he let him land on his outstretched hands. He ruffled the feathers lovingly, giggling when he brought it closer. Button jumped on top of his head, beak clicking as he started to groom Nino's hair one of his favourite past-time it seemed.

"So you are now occupied it seems. Then let's go visit Kairy," Nino said with an eye roll. "Aiba-shi will you come with us?"

"Nah, granddad said there are Snidgets. He takes care of them for the holidays, and I want to have a look."

"Okay," Ohno nodded as he took Nino's hand to pull him along. 

"Oh-chan?"

"What's up?"

"I want to ask you something, but you are not allowed to make fun of me."

"I won't ever make fun of you," Ohno said with a frown. Nino smiled happily at his words. Ohno sounded so honest right now. 

"Is it bad if I don't get good marks everywhere? Will people think I'm stupid?"

Ohno sighed as he pulled him close carefully for a second, being careful not to jostle Button. He had learnt that the owl had a sharp beak if disturbed. Only Nino (and Aiba but Aiba had a good hand with all animals around) was allowed to do anything with the owl without getting hurt. 

"Of course, it's not bad. It's completely normal not to get top marks everywhere."

"But the robes turn only golden if so!"

"True, but how many golden robes do you see? I'm not a good student; Sho is good with things like Arithmetic but awful in Divination and some of the other things."

"You are good!" Nino disagreed. 

Ohno chuckled as he squeezed him around the shoulders for a second before letting him go to open the gate for the den to get to Ohno's Kneazle.

"I'm good at sports and art, and I'm okay with charms but not top marks in those," he explained well naturally. He didn't need that. He was good where it counted and could do what he needed. He had never felt the need to achieve top marks. But he understood Nino in a way. 

"Won't mum be mad?"

"No, she loves you, Nino, and is proud of you as you are."

"Dad…"

"What your dad might think won't matter," Ohno interrupted, turning around to hold his shoulders. "Nino, Kazu, listen: Your dad was unhappy in the marriage, it had nothing to do with you."

"But he said I'm the reason."

"And what did your mum say?"

"That it's not my fault. Same with nee-chan," he said as he looked down. 

"And they are more important. Kazu, please believe us. You re perfect as you are," he said, tugging softly at a strand of hair, smiling at the angry hoot of Button. 

"So mum won't be disappointed?"

"No, she won't only if you get lazy and don't even try. But as long as you try, she will be proud of your achievements. It's the same for your sister, right?"

"Uhn, mum never yells if there are bad marks," he remembered. He just thought that he had to be perfect. After all, it was him and this school that made his father leave them. He was scared that his mother would think it was not worth the stress.

"Tell your mum about your fears tonight, okay?"

"But it will make her sad!"

"Maybe but she will be sadder if she finds out how much you are stressing over this and that you don't want to talk to her about it. And if it gets too bad, you might get ill. So this is better. You trust your mom, right?"

"Yes," Nino mumbled as he nodded. "I'll talk to her tonight."

"Good, then come on Kairy wants cuddles, and I know for certain she likes yours more than mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About the animals mentioned in this chapter: 
> 
> Kneazle = a magical beast related to, and similar in appearance to, a cat. They have spotted, speckled or flecked fur, large ears and a lightly plumed tail, akin to that of a lion's. Kairy is a soft brown with dark brown spots on her fur.  
> Puffskein = a small magical beast covered in soft fur and spherical in shape. It is a popular wizarding pet found worldwide, that does not object to being cuddled or thrown about.  
> Ezo Fukuro = A subspecies of the Ural Owl, the Ezo fukuro is an uncommon type of bird that is primarily nocturnal, although it can occasionally be seen during the day. Wise and cuddly in appearance, this owl often blends in with the bark of the trees that it roosts in.  
> Snidget = a small golden magical bird with fully rotational wings, best known for early use in the game of Quidditch, eventually being replaced by the Golden Snitch. They are close to extinction.


	5. Beach

“Thank you again for allowing him to accompany you,” Nino’s mother said as she bowed deeply in front of the Ohno’s. Nino’s cheeks were a deep red from embarrassment at his mother’s antics as well as from excitement.

“We are happy to take him,” Ohno-san said with a smile holding on Kazuko’s shoulders to bring her upright again. “Please don’t bow like that. You don’t owe us anything. Satoshi-kun is looking forward to playing with Kazunari-kun, and of course, we will take Kazumi-chan as well, if she wants. You just need to give us a call.”

Kazuko smiled a bit shyly at her words. She couldn’t believe to have found such good friends and people for her son and herself. Ohno-san had helped them a lot when her husband had decided to leave them and all but forgot about Kazu’s magic abilities and them. It was hard for her to date again. She had Kazunari to think about after all, even if she didn’t want to tell and worry him. 

“I will ask her when she is back from her school trip.”

“You can come as well if you are free. You don’t work these two whole weeks, do you?”

“I couldn’t…”

“Nonsense. You should. To see if Kazunari-kun is fine and to relax. We will fetch you, tell us when it’s your day off.”

“Then, thank you.” Kazuko smiled before looking at her son, sternly. Nino pouted at her and crossed his arms. She had told him day in and day out to be a good boy and listen to the Ohno’s, and he didn’t want to be reminded again. He was a big boy already! Only half a year left, and he would be part of the boarding school. Really, she didn’t need to tell him to listen.

“Don’t give me that look, Kazunari,” she scolded with a lifted eyebrow. “If you want to throw a tantrum you can say goodbye to your holiday and stay here.”

Nino’s eyes widened at the threat, and he looked down a bit worriedly. He really wanted to go with Ohno and his family. Ohno had told him all of last month about all the things they could do at the beach and their friends would visit for a day or two, and they all would have a big barbecue. He had been looking forward to having something to tell after the summer holiday ended. 

He bit his lips before relaxing when he felt the warm hand of his mother in his hair as she knelt to be on his height and look into his eyes. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I know I worry overly. But promise me to listen to Ohno-san and not to go anywhere alone.”

“Haru is with me,” Kazu mumbled as his fingers tighten around the collar of his dog. 

“Still, even if Haru is at your side. Promise me, okay?”

“Okay. I only leave with the others or go on ways I’m allowed to go,” he agreed after a moment. “Will you really come to visit?”

“Not, if you don’t want me to,” she said honestly. 

Nino’s eyes widened as he jumped forward and hugged his mother around the neck tightly as he hid his face at her shoulder. He always would want her by his side. In all honesty, he was already a bit scared not to see his mother for two whole weeks. He had never been away for so long until now. “I want you to come!”

She chuckled before she nodded. “Then I will call you to tell you when okay? Take your cell phone with you so that I can reach you, promise.”

“Yes, I’ll call each day!”

She laughed softly before untangling them and stroking Haru’s head. “Look after our boy ne?” she asked the dog who barked loudly. 

“Okay, off we go then. Kazunari-kun do you have everything?” Ohno-san asked. She had already spelt his suitcase to fit into her pocket, and he nodded as he stood. He held onto Haru, looking at the woman with big eyes. 

“Yes!”

“Then hold on tight, Satoshi is already waiting for you at the beach house.”

Nino grinned happily at this words and with another last kiss to his mother’s cheek he grabbed Ohno-san’s hand as they disappeared. He stumbled when they appeared again, falling right into Ohno’s arms who grinned down at him with an amused glint.

“How are you feeling?”

“Dizzy,” Kazu whined as he hid his head for a second. He felt Ohno patting his head until Haru barked bumping his nose at his hand. 

“I thought you would feel ill with your motion sickness,” Ohno teased but let him go so that he could give cuddles to Haru until his dog and he felt better. Ohno waited patiently for them before taking Nino’s hands in his own. “We’ll be sharing a room. Come, I show you, and then we can go out.”

“Satoshi, let Kazu relax before and don’t track him around right away,” his mother scolded with an eye roll, looking at the pale boy. “I think a nap would be better and bring him something to drink. Is that alright, Kazunari-kun?”

“Yes, please I feel not so good,” Kazu said with a rosy tint to his cheeks, feeling ashamed at being so weak.

“We could have napped outside,” Ohno pouted but then nodded when his mother glared at him. Nino giggled softly as he realised that Ohno’s family was somewhat similar to his own.

—

Nino climbed onto the bed he would share with Ohno and probably Haru. It was a bunk bed, and Ohno had already told him that he was okay with sleeping on the top. Nino would like to try it, but he knew that Haru liked sleeping in the bed with him, and that would not be possible on the top. 

“What do you want to drink?”

“Do you have ice-tea?” Nino asked as Haru whined in front of the bed running in circles as he didn’t know if he was allowed in the new bed. Nino looked at Ohno who giggled at the cute antics and then hit the mattress of Nino’s bed softly. 

“Up you go, boy,” he allowed quickly. 

Nino grinned happily as he hugged Haru who rolled up on his side. “Thank you.”

Ohno shook his head as he pulled out his wand and moved it while murmuring a spell. Shortly after a glass with ice tea appeared on his nightstand and Nino took it to drink a bit. “Why are you allowed to use magic?”

“Because I’m older than you,” Ohno said with a giggle as he ruffled his hair. Nino pouted, and Ohno bopped his nose. “You are still too excited about it all and would probably use it when you shouldn’t. I have it easier as my whole families are witches and wizards, and I live in a wizardly community. You live among humans.”

“Mhm… And they are not allowed to know,” Nino mumbled with a nod that he had already learnt. 

“Yup. It’ll be very hard for me to use magic when normal humans can see. For you, it’s more dangerous. And the teachers don’t want you to lose your status because you are still too young to see when it’s okay to use your magic and when not,” Ohno explained softly. “You will be allowed once you are a bit older.”

“Okay,” Nino said with a pout. Ohno smiled at that and stroke his hair. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Sleepy,” Nino mumbled with a small grimace, feeling bad, that he couldn’t play right away with Ohno.

“That’s okay. You should sleep if you feel like that. An apparition can be tiring, especially if it’s the first time. But would it be okay for Haru to meet Kairy?”

“Of course. Where is she?”

“Dad took her to make sure that you two would be settled in first,” Ohno said before standing up. He petted Haru once before leaving the room to go down and get his kneazle. 

“Kairy Nino-chan is here, and he brought his dog, Haru. So be a good girl, ne?” He told her as he opened the door. Nino giggled as he watched them with bright eyes before sitting up. 

“Hey Kairy, how has Oh-chan been? Has he been nice to you?” the kneazle mewled in answer wriggling slightly in Ohno’s arms to greet Nino properly. But Ohno hushed her slightly as he held her securely to be sure that she wouldn’t attack Haru or the other way around. 

Nino had put his arms around Haru’s neck to keep him down and stroked his side. “Haru this is Kairy. She is a beautiful kneazle, ne? She is very friendly and cute,” he explained to the dog who put his head to the side, watching the kneazle carefully while listening to Nino. He barked softly finally and licked Nino’s cheek before Ohno sighed and sat on the bed as well so that the animals would be closer. 

They both waited with baited breaths as the animals sniffed each other before they both relaxed and Kairy head-butted the dog with a purr before making herself comfortable on Nino’s lap. The boy giggled when Ohno rolled his eyes with a huff. 

“Lucky for you all you are cute. Goodnight, Nino. I’ll wake you if lunch is ready, okay?”

“Okay, thank you.”

—

Nino woke because Haru moved on the bed to jump from the bed, whining and scratching at the door. 

“What’s up, Haru?” Ohno asked, and Nino opened his eyes sleepily at the question. Ohno was perched on a chair in front of the window with his sketchbook on his lap and charcoal in his hands. There was a stripe of black on his cheek that made Nino giggle softly. Ohno, realising that he was awake, looked up at him with a sheepish grin. “Sorry I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Haru did. He stepped on me when he climbed out of bed,” Kazu said, rubbing his eyes with a yawn as he sat up, looking at his dog. “He needs to get out.”

“Ah,” Ohno said in understanding as he put his things aside to step to the door. “Stay in bed I’ll bring him outside and come back, okay?”

“Uhn… Thank you,” Nino said as he petted Kairy still a little sleepy. He felt loads better but a bit disoriented from the impromptu nap. He always needed a moment to relocate himself after sleeping during the day. He finished his drink of ice tea when he was alone and then carefully climbed out of bed. He stumbled a little and held tightly on the nightstand so that he wouldn’t fall before he was able to continue for his bag and grab a change of clothes.

He nibbled on his lips as he realised that Ohno was still out of the room and looked at his socked feet. He didn’t know if it was okay for him to go out but he really really needed to pee, and he would like to change out of his sweaty clothes from sleeping. Hopping from one foot to the other and waiting for a few more seconds (which felt like hours) his bladder decided that waiting wasn’t possible, so he carefully tiptoed out of the room, looking around for a sign of the toilet. His face brightened when he saw a door halfway open with a sink inside the room. That had to be the bathroom, he decided as he went over. He closed the door silently before getting ready. With changed clothes and the old ones in his arms, he went back to the room, where Ohno was already waiting for him.

“Ready?”

“Uhn, yeah, sorry, I just…”

Ohno shook his head as he carefully tugged at his hair. “You can walk around freely and get whatever you want, okay?”

“But I don’t live here. Mum always says to ask if I want something when I visit others.”

“Yeah but you don’t visit here but live here for a bit as well.”

Nino nodded after a few moments, not fully understanding but happy to not be scolded.

—

Kazu sniffed slightly as he snuggled closer to Haru by his side. He hugged the dog as tightly as he dared without hurting his beloved dog. He couldn’t sleep as he missed being tucked to bed by his mother. The first few days had been excellent. He had been so excited to be here and ran around with Ohno almost every day at the beach (he know wasn’t scared anymore of swimming in the sea!) that he fell asleep rather quickly. 

Today though it had been raining hard, so it wasn’t possible to go outside and run around more than going for a walk with Haru twice that day. Therefore he was not so sleepy as he had been the last few days and had a hard time to fall to sleep. 

He had remembered his mother singing to him softly whenever he couldn’t sleep and make that perfect hot chocolate from real white chocolate with cream and dark chocolate flakes on top. Right as that memory came to his mind, he had felt really bad in his stomach, like he was going ill and tears had collected in his eyes. He wanted his mommy now, but he was a big boy, and big boys didn’t cry. At least that was what his father had told him when he had been upset. 

Ohno looked down at the bed under him when he was woken by Kairy purring into his ear. He groaned as he rubbed his ear and sat up disorientated for a second. Kairy usually let him sleep peacefully, but now the kneazle was insistingly head butting his arm, and if Ohno didn’t know better he would say that the kneazle was trying to push him out of bed. There was a small sound coming from under him which made him stop at his attempts to calm down Kairy and let her get him more sleep. It took a second until he realised that Nino was silently crying trying hard not to let him hear him. He carefully climbed out of his bed to kneel in front of the bed. 

“Nino, are you crying? A bad dream?”

“No,” Nino answered after a few moments of silence between them. His voice was quivering, and Ohno frowned with a pout as he realised that Nino was indeed crying even if he denied it.

“It’s okay. Bad dreams are scary ne?”

“Big boys don’t cry,” Nino mumbled as he wiped his eyes. “And I haven’t had a bad dream.”

“Of course, my dad still cries, and I do too. When I’m hurt or sad. Everybody is allowed to cry,” Ohno disagrees vehemently as he climbed on the bed to turn Nino around. Nino fought him for a bit, still trying to hide his face in the soft fur of Haru, but in the end, Ohno was stronger than him.

“Kazu, what’s wrong?” he asked worriedly as he saw the wet cheeks of his friend. He carefully moved until he was able to hug him tightly and move them back and force in the hope to calm him down. 

“I miss my mommy,” Kazu said after a few moments of more crying.

Ohno scrunched up his nose at his words as he played with his hair. “Is it the first time you are away?”

“I had a sleepover at daycare once,” Kazu mumbled not saying that even then he had cried most of the night because he had missed his mother. 

“Oh, and now we took you so far. You should have told me. I cried each night the first time I went on a vacation. Kaa-san had to fetch me after three days,” he said as he dropped a fleeting kiss on top of Nino’s head because that was what his mother did if he was upset and so sad. 

“I can’t bring your mother right now… But we can call her tomorrow, okay?”

“Before sleeping and in the morning?” Nino asked, hopefully. He talked with his mother once a day for a few minutes so far, but right now, he wanted to talk more with her.

“Okay,” Ohno agreed readily as he smiled down at him. He rubbed his still wet cheeks and then petted Haru. “Do you want something now? Or do you think you can sleep?”

“Hot choco,” Kazu mumbled hiding his face in his knees that he brought closer to his body after his crying had died down. Ohno didn’t laugh, so it was easier to talk about what he wanted.

“I’m not allowed to use the oven… Last time I forgot to put it off,” Ohno said with a frown. It was easy to reheat things that had been warm once or make things appear that was somewhere here in the house but making hot chocolate out of nothing was impossible for him. He frowned but then climbed out of bed and tugged Nino up after him with Haru and Kairy in tow. 

“We’ll ask Kaa-san. She makes good hot chocolate,” he explained when Nino made a small sound. 

“I don’t want to be a disturbance,” Nino said, but Ohno was already out of the room marching them all out and to the living room where his parents were still awake. 

His mother looked up in surprise when they appeared. “What’s wrong?” she asked softly already halfway up to caress Nino’s cheek as she realised the red eyes. 

“Nino and I want hot choco, Kaa-san,” Ohno declared loudly when Nino looked down at the floor a bit embarrassed.

“Sounds like a great idea. How about a hot chocolate party, dear?” she asked loudly to her husband, who smiled as he nodded. “Perfect with extra marshmallows. We can make a fort here, ne Kazunari-kun, Satoshi?”

Ohno nodded happily before he dragged Nino with him to the sofa to pull off the cushions and blankets to make a fluffy, comfortable space on the floor in front of the fire-place where his father magicked a fire for them to enjoy. Nino was still silent but a lot more relaxed as he snuggled in between Ohno and Haru.

—

“Mum!” Nino yelled happily when his mother appeared together with his sister and Jun’s father at the beach house. Today the house was full of people since the Ohno’s had invited all of Ohno’s closest friends and their families if they could come. He was playing volleyball together with Ohno, Jun, Aiba and Sho against their siblings, his eyes mostly on the door to see when his mother would come so that he could greet him. 

“Hello, there you are so brown I almost didn’t recognise you,” his mother greeted with an amused twinkle as she hugged him tightly. “How was your week?”

“Fun we played almost every day at the beach. Haru likes hunting the waves,” he explained happily before hugging his sister for a second before looking back at his mother. His sister rolled her eyes right naturally before going to greet Ohno’s sister and talk to the other girl. 

Nino took the hand of his mother to walk her around and introduce all of his friends and their families. It was the first day his mother was able to meet them all since usually only the Ohno’s came for visits (because too many wizards would raise suspicion) and he was proud and happy to tell and show her everything. 

Still, after an hour talking, he got bored and fidgeted around on his seat. He didn’t want to let his mother alone with mostly strangers since the Ohno’s were preparing the food. They had told the children very sternly not to get too close to the fire and to the adult guests that they were not allowed to help in any way since they were guests.

“Kazunari-kun it’s fine if you want to play with the others,” Matsumoto-san said suddenly with an amused twinkle in his eyes at the antics. Nino was trying hard to look interested and talk about something with his mother while also trying not to look at the others (something which was hard whenever they cried out loudly or laughter reached them).

“But…” he looked at his mother and bit his lip. He was so happy that she was finally here. 

“We can talk later during dinner, ne? And I’ll stay overnight after all. So we can share a room, how does that sound?”

“But won’t you be bored?”

His mother laughed softly as he caressed his hair. “I think I will have a very nice company, right, Matsumoto-san?”

“Yes, of course. We*’ll be happy to take care of her, Kazunari-kun,” he said with a nod. Nino looked at his mother one last time, but then another shriek and splash of water reached them at where they sat. 

His mother gave him a little push which finally made him leave to run to the others and have a fun evening at the beach under the watchful eyes of their parents. When he looked back once to make sure that his mother was okay, he saw that she was talking animatedly with Jun’s father while smiling brightly and his worries were put to rest.


	6. Under the Stars

Nino’s whole body was trembling, his eyes wide and his mouth was opening and closing in a silent cry when Ohno finally reached him. There had been whispers around the great hall about Aiba crumbling to the floor unconscious and him being taken by the medic-witch to the hospital wing. They had tried to get Nino to follow them, but nobody had managed to do so with just words, and nobody had wanted to use a spell on him without trying everything else first. 

Using spells on others wasn’t forbidden - it was necessary sometimes and even on their curricular - but doing so to make people do what you want was wrong and would break the trust between students and teachers. Of course, all teachers knew about the friendship between Nino and Ohno and that the younger boy felt secure with his brotherly figure, so they sent someone into his classroom to fetch him. 

For Ohno everything had turned black for a second when they told him that Nino wasn’t responsive, all kinds of accidents and illnesses ran through his mind until the rumours in the halls made sense for him. He understood that not Nino but Aiba had been ill - or was it an accident? Ohno didn’t know, and he honestly didn’t care that much. In his mind only was on Kazu and he felt relief flood through him when he realised that his little Nino was okay. Later, he would feel bad for that feeling because it was still Aiba, a very good and beloved friend that was not okay. 

Ohno came close to Nino and sighed softly as he realised that Nino wasn’t seeing him even if he was standing directly in front of him. “Kazu-kun,” he said softly as he took the hand of the other in his own. He squeezed it softly and tugged Nino closer then.

Nino blinked as his body moved so suddenly and he stumbled against the warm body of Ohno. It took him a second or two until he recognised the older boy, and with a shout, he pressed himself against his chest. “Oh-chan! Aiba is… He…” He cried hard as he hid his face.

Ohno sighed as he swayed him from side to side, hugging him tightly and safely to make sure that Nino knew he wasn’t alone. “It’s okay, Kazu, everything is okay.”

“No, Aiba, we were running, and he said his chest hurt I told him he was lying and just weak, and then he fell and couldn’t breathe,” Nino whined as he held him tightly around the shoulders, afraid that Ohno would go because he thought he was an awful friend. He hadn’t wanted to make Aiba ill like that.

“That’s not your fault. You were playing, and you both didn’t know that his lungs are weak. His family didn’t know.”

“I should have stopped,” Nino disagreed, and Ohno sighed. 

He carefully wiped his tears before picking him up. He was happy that Nino still was not that tall and he was a lightweight, so Ohno managed to carry him away from the empty hallway. Nino hid his face at his shoulder, still crying silently, but he seemed to calm down slowly. Ohno murmured that it was okay in his ear now and then to keep him calm and was happy when he managed to bring him into his dorm. Sho was still in class so that it was empty. He sat on the bed, with Nino on his lap and caressed his back comfortingly.

“It’s honestly not your fault, Kazu,” he said again as Nino peeked up at him. 

“But if we stopped…”

“It might have happened another time, perhaps during summer, when you swim in the lake or when he is flying. That would have been more dangerous,” Ohno said calmly. 

“You really think so?”

“Yes, I do. So don’t cry anymore okay? He is with medics, and they help him. He will be fine, and then this evening you may visit him if you want.”

“Won’t he be in the hospital?” Nino asked a bit unsure. 

“No, he will be in the hospital wing here at school. His grandfather lives in the school grounds, and it’s a good one. The medic-witch here is great.”

“Okay,” Nino said with a small nod and sigh. He leant against Ohno, feeling tired suddenly.

“Do you want to take a nap?”

“I don’t want to be alone. Jun as an extra class as does Toma,” Nino said with a small blush. He still felt scared, and it was good to know that Ohno was here with him. He felt safe with Ohno so close. He knew that the older boy would protect him as good as he could. 

“You can sleep here. I have some homework to do, and the teachers allowed me to leave classes early,” he said with a smile as he bopped his nose. “And you can’t go visit Aiba with those red eyes and looking so exhausted. The medic might even want to keep you if you go now,” he teased him as he carefully untangled himself from Nino and put him on the bed. He made sure that the blankets were safely around the boy and tousled his hair. He smiled when Kairy jumped up onto the bed and rolled up on Nino’s stomach with a small purr. Nino smiled as he petted her a little, his eyes falling close now and then but he was trying hard to stay awake.

“Sleep now.”

“Uhn… Sleepy-night, Oh-chan, thank you,” he whispered tiredly before he closed his eyes and fell to sleep shortly after. 

Ohno sighed as he watched Nino with a small smile before he stood and went over to his desk. It was good if Nino slept for a while, he thought. He was sure that Aiba would be okay, but he knew that he was being operated and that would probably take a while. When Nino would wake up again, he hopefully knew more about what happened exactly. The teachers had promised him to tell them if they knew more to make sure that their minds were put to rest.

—

“Kairy let him sleep,” Ohno whispered as he watched the kneazle with a frown on his face. Kairy had slept peacefully until now, but now she was moving on Nino and licking his face while purring loudly and nudging him now and then or.

Kairy looked back at with a small huff before she moved on the bed to actually bite Nino on the fingers to wake him. Ohno swore and went to put her down when Nino woke with a small noise before calling out for Aiba. Ohno was beside him in an instant, his hands on his face with a slight frown. Nino was warmer than he liked and he worried that the younger boy had made himself ill because he was so panicked earlier.

“Good girl,” he sighed. He should have known that his kneazle had realised the sudden fever and wanted to warn him. He really should pay more attention, he thought unhappily.

“Aiba is fine, Nino-chan,” he said softly. Nino blinked as he heard the voice. 

“Oh-chan?”

“Yes, Aiba-chan had to have an operation, but he is fine now. He still is a bit sore, but there is no fear that he won’t be fully healthy again,” he explained.

There were tears in the corner of Nino’s eyes at those words, and he blinked so that they ran down his temple. Very slowly, he relaxed and closed his eyes. “Good, may I visit? Do you think he wants to see me? Or does he hate me now?”

“He does not hate you, dummy. And he would be delighted if you visit him and I think you run a fever so it would be better if you go to the hospital wing. Sit up slowly,” Ohno coaxed as he helped him into a sitting position and put a glass of water in his hand. 

Nino drank it slowly as he realised that Ohno wouldn’t let him up otherwise and then allowed the other boy to pull him to his feet. He stumbled only slightly as he felt a bit woozy in his head and held onto Ohno’s arm as the older boy brought him through the long hallways and stairs to the hospital wing.

“Sensei?” he called for the nurse who appeared on their side as if summoned just a second later. Nino swayed a bit in surprise, and Ohno tightened his grip so that he won’t fall to the floor.

“What is wrong?” the woman asked worriedly and put her hand to his forehead. “You’re burning, little one. You should lie down.”

Nino shook his head stubbornly and curled up into Ohno’s arms. “Aiba. Oh-chan said I’m allowed to visit Aiba-chan,” he said softly, and a bit worried. “I want to know if he is okay.”

“He is awake. Follow me there is a second bed for you and I’m sure Aiba-kun won’t mind you staying with him for a bit,” she said softly. Nino wanted to argue that he didn’t need a bed, but in the end, he nodded. 

“Okay,” he said in a small voice as he followed the nurse, holding Ohno’s hand tightly in his own. He was worried that Aiba would not want to see him honestly. 

“Nino-chan!” Aiba cried out happily as soon as he saw him. Nino looked up shyly but happy to see Aiba awake and breathing in the bed. He looked a bit tired but glad to see him. 

“Aiba-chan, how are you?” he asked worriedly stepping closer to the bed. 

“A bit sore. I have a cool scar, and the doctor said I would be better in no time,” Aiba said brightly before frowning slightly. “But you don’t look so good.”

“Ninomiya-kun has a fever,” the nurse explained as he steered Nino away from Aiba’s bed and into a second one. “So he has to stay here for the night before he stresses himself out like this again. I heard what happened when Aiba-kun collapsed,” she said sternly when Nino opened his mouth to protest. Tonight was a class that he shouldn’t miss (or didn’t want to). He loved astrology. 

Nino deflated slightly under the look, worrying his lips with his teeth. “But I will stress more if I can’t visit a class or do homework. And I have to take care of Button,” he threatened the nurse, who lifted her eyebrow. 

“You can do your homework here, and I’m sure your friends can copy their notes for you,” she said, looking at Ohno who nodded. 

“Yes, Jun-kun already copied his for your afternoon classes. Button will be fine with the others for tonight or come visit me or you or Aiba or go to the owlery,” he said giggling when the pout became more defined. “Stop fighting Nino-kun. You won’t win anyway.”

Nino sighed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “But I don’t have to like it!”

“No, I suppose not, brat,” Ohno said softly as he petted his hair. “I have to go so be a good boy and listen to the nurse.”

“Okay,” Nino nodded after a while. Ohno smiled and told Aiba how happy he was that the other was better again before he left the boys in the hands of the nurse.

—

Nino was sleepy as he followed Jun and Toma into the highest tower. Tonight there was a very special and seldom star constellation that his teacher wanted them to show. They entered the big open room and looked to the sky. Only a few stars were showing right now, and Nino thought that there was nothing special about it at all. 

“Nino-kun, Jun-kun, we are here,” Sho called out for them, and Nino brightened up as he saw the three older students that had already secured a spot for all of them. They dragged Toma with them so that he won’t sit alone somewhere and sat down on the hard cold floor. 

Nino shivered slightly as the cold wind blew around them. Ohno chuckled as he saw that and Nino pouted as he stuck out his tongue. 

“Let me show you a warming spell,” Sho offered after he watched the silent exchange for a while in quiet amusement. Nino’s eyes brightened up as he nodded eagerly. 

“Yes, please,” he almost begged, moving his hands together as he bowed slightly. A heating spell would be great. Ohno knew some as well, but he liked to tease him mostly and not show him how to do them himself. 

“Okay take your wand,” Sho said as he took out his own. “You need to move it this way, try it please first without the spell.”

Nino nodded as he nibbled his lower lip and moved his wrist just like the other had shown him. 

“Very good, Nino-kun,” Sho said with a smile. “Now for the spell. Be careful with the pronunciation. Satoshi-kun had put things to fire in the beginning because he has such a hard pronunciation on some of the sounds,” Sho said.

Nino giggled at that. “Yes, he is horrible with ‘b’ and ‘p’,” he agreed, laughing louder when Ohno made a disgruntled noise and started to tickle him. 

“Brat. My pronunciation is excellent.”

Nino wriggled around until there was a cough from their teacher, and they calmed down again. Nino moved closer to Sho so that he could whisper the spell into his ear. Nino mouthed it along a few times carefully before he nodded to show that he understood. 

Under Sho’s attentive look, he whispered the spell as he moved his hand in time and almost immediately, he felt warmth running over him and settling around him. It was as if he had a heating blanket or something like that instead of his cloak. 

“Oh, that’s nice,” he said happily as he snuggled close into his cloak and then finally looked back to the teacher who finally started to talk. He looked at the stars, sidling up closer to Ohno and Aiba to sit in between them. For the last few days, he had been with Aiba a lot. He wanted to make sure that the other was okay, but slowly he had calmed down again. 

Nino knew that Aiba wouldn’t vanish now and that he was alright and not mad at him. He listened to the teacher talking about the star constellations they could see right now and how they might help them doing magic or potions. He sighed a little as the comfortable warmth and the lull in their teacher’s voice made him sleepy.

He always had a hard time following this class - not because it wasn’t exciting, but because of the late time, it was. His head fell on Ohno’s shoulder who chuckled slightly at his actions.

“Don’t fall asleep on me,” he whispered.

“Not tired,” Nino mumbled with a small frown. He listened to the scratches of Sho’s pen on his notebook, and some whispered conversation around him and with those sounds around him as well as the warmth he couldn’t help himself as he slowly fell to sleep even if he fought it hard.

Ohno laughed silently as he watched Nino lose the fight against the sleep and stroke his back up and down slowly. He knew he should probably wake him again and not let him sleep, but he didn’t want to. The lesson ended, and the teacher left them to pick up their things and leave in an orderly manner. 

“What should we do with him?” Sho asked as he pointed at Nino. Ohno sighed as he picked the body up without problems. Nino was a lightweight, he thought again with a sigh. He had made sure that the younger boy would eat more during their shared meals, but that didn’t seem to have worked yet. 

“I’ll carry him to your dorm,” he said with a small shrug as he carefully balanced the boy in his arms. Nino sighed happily as he put his head on Ohno’s shoulder and snuggled even closer in his sleep. 

“Wouldn’t be levitating be safer?” Jun asked curiously as they all fell to step with Ohno who took the lead. 

“Not really. It would if we actually can keep up the same amount of energy throughout the whole spell, but that’s hard even for adults,” Sho explained as he made sure to take Ohno’s bag with him so that he wouldn’t have to carry more. 

“Isn’t Nino too heavy?”

“Nah he weights less than nothing,” Ohno said, laughing softly.

Toma snorted as he couldn’t believe that while Aiba giggled slightly. He knew that Ohno trained his body - often together with him so he could believe that it was easy for the other to carry Nino. The younger boy was small for his age as well. 

“Oh well, if he gets too heavy he can use a levitating spell to help him carry Nino-chan. Now silent. We don’t want to disturb the others, he said. 

Sho looked at Aiba and snorted at his stern face directed at the two younger boys. It was funny to see Aiba so severe, more so because he was the loudest one of their small circle, but he only nodded in agreement when Aiba’s eyes flickered to him. He was right, after all. 

Ohno stopped in front of the dorm of Nino, Jun and Toma, looking at the two boys with a frown. He wasn’t so sure which of them would be able to carry Nino as they were both very skinny boys. There was nothing bad in that considering their age, but he really didn’t want to wake Nino.

“May I come in? I just want to put him to bed,” Ohno asked them.

Toma and Jun exchanged a look before shrugging. “Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you,” he said politely and bid Aiba a good night since his room was just across of this one. Aiba waved before skipping over to his place, greeting Kazama loudly which made Sho cringe. So much of being quiet, he thought with a frown. 

“I’ll wait for you,” he offered Ohno who nodded thankfully and followed Jun inside. Jun pointed at Nino’s bed, and Ohno had to stifle his laughter as he saw the soft yellow blanket that Nino got from his mother and a gaming console right next to his cushion. 

“Thank you, Jun-kun,” he mumbled when the other pulled back the blankets. Ohno laid him down and loosened his cloak and took off his shoes before putting the sheets back on top of Nino who moaned happily in his sleep as he snuggled into the small soft blanket which he held tightly in his grip. Button hopped from its place beside the window when its master was brought in. He groomed his hair with its beak for a moment before deciding that the boy was okay and safe and flew out into the night hunting for its dinner.

“Good-night, Jun-kun, Toma-kun.”

“Good-night Ohno-senpai,” they echoed as he rolled his eyes and left the room. He felt Sho’s thoughtful eyes on him but decided to ignore his longest friend. 

A/N: I'm sorry I know this chapter is awful.  
I know I’m badgering their ages but… I don’t want to put anybody alone, so Jun, Nino and Toma are in grade 5 and share a room, Aiba and Kazama are in grade 6 and share a room, Sho and Ohno are in grade 8 and share a room. The rooms are mostly twin rooms, but since in Nino’s and Jun’s room, there is an uneven number of boys they share a place altogether, so nobody ends up alone.  
Also: If you are interested: https://reveetoile.dreamwidth.org/236861.html


	7. Budding Romance

Sho looked at Ohno and Nino with a frown. They were both bent over a table doing their homework. It was only at times like these when the younger boy was concentrated on something school-related that they were not giggling to each other. Over the years it had gotten worse than better, and sometimes Sho wondered about them more than was probably healthy.

“Which classes did you chose?” Sho asked Nino as he sat down beside him. Nino blinked as he looked up curiously. 

“I can’t decide. They all sound very hard,” he mumbled with a frown. “And I can’t stand Divination. It’s strange,” he muttered. 

Ohno pouted slightly as he hit him in the side. “Hey!”

Nino giggled at his antics and then moved his hand to ruffle the older boy’s hair. “Yeah, yeah, you are great in Divination. You are good in reading signs,” he agreed. “And the teacher likes you,” he teased after a moment. 

Ohno yelled in protest as he moved forward to tickle the now laughing boy in front of them. Nino was squirming while begging Ohno to stop his assault. But only when Nino was almost breathless did he stop with his attack. He ruffled Nino’s hair with a grin. 

“You should go to Care of Magical Creatures. You are good with animals, and it would do you good to do something else than concentrate on all things that have to do with spells,” Sho said in the end. Nino would be smart enough to go to Arithmancy like he did or Ancient Runes with Jun, but he thought that Nino lacked in other parts of his studies. “You want golden robes, right?”

Nino shrugged with a frown as he stared down at his robe that was still slightly pink even if there were other colours mixed in. They were all so faint, though that it was tough to tell. If it was very bright, outside people even thought that his robes were white and that was almost scary. “Yes,” he said, in the end, biting his lower lip. “But I don’t like being outside that much,” he added then.

“I know, but it will be fun. You’ll learn together with Aiba-chan.” 

“Huh? Why? He is older than me.” 

“Yes, the teachers put different years together for the extracurricular classes since we are so little. We get different exercise sheets though in most classes.”

Now Nino’s eyes wandered back to Ohno. Would that mean he could learn together with the older? But then again he sighed. He didn’t like the teacher of Divination, and it was all strange for him. He frowned harder, thinking about what to do, making Ohno laugh softly. 

“You could always take up two classes, you know? Sho took up Arithmancy and Ancient Runes for the first two years, right?” Ohno said, looking back at his friend. Sho had just decided this year as there were new classes they were able to take to drop Ancient Runes, because of Apparition classes and because he wanted to concentrate on other things from next year on. 

“I…” Nino grumbled slightly. It was hard. He had the feeling that whatever he chose now would already direct his future, and he had no idea what he wanted to do honestly. 

Sho sighed as he saw the deep frown on Nino’s face. As always when they talked about such decisions, Nino’s face clouded over with worry and full of thoughts. It was strange to see him like that when he was so young and should enjoy himself more instead of being like that. Sho opened his mouth to say something, but he didn’t know what. He had always been more serious than the rest also. 

“Nino-chan,” Ohno sang as he softly touched his hair with the tips of his fingers. He then ran them down his forehead, between his eyebrow and the lengths of his nose to tap the top of it. “If you look like that your face will stay like that and not be cute anymore. It’s just classes. Choose what you find interesting, I agree with Sho though, Magical Creatures will be fun I did it a bit in my sixth year, and I got Kairy out of it. And one class will be enough. You still have Quidditch practise after all. It won’t mean you have to stick with it for all those years or that you have to do more in that field.”

Sho blinked as he saw the soft, almost loving expression on Ohno’s face at these words. He couldn’t remember when the expression on Ohno’s face whenever he talked to Nino had changed, and he wondered if Ohno had even realised yet. As it was Nino softened after a second and then nodded, agreeing with Ohno’s explanation. Sho smiled down at them, deciding to think about this later, maybe even talk with Ohno if it got more prominent.

“And if you are interested in anything else, I’m sure Jun-kun will share his notes with you, and I can tutor you as well, okay?”

Nino’s eyes brightened up at those words. “Yes, thank you!” he shouted before hugging Sho tightly, who laughed as he caressed his back. 

Ohno cleared his throat to get Nino’s attention back after a minute or so, making Nino look back curiously. “Let’s finish this; I thought you wanted me to teach you that special trick on the broom? I’m sure Sho is no good in that field.”

Nino giggled at that, as he nodded in agreement. Mirth was playing in his eyes as he remembered Sho’s panicked look whenever he joined their games and how he clung to the brooms each time instead of being of any use. It was a miracle that Sho hadn’t hurt himself yet.

—

“Hello Nino-chan,” Aiba said happily as they met at the entrance of the castle. Nino nodded at the older man rubbing the back of his neck. It was not raining at the moment, but he was sure that this would change soon enough. 

“Why are you so hyper?”

“Because I finally share a class with one of you.”

Nino frowned as Aiba was still too loud for him to feel comfortable. He glared at the other before sighing softly when Aiba hugged him tightly. 

“Let me go, I can’t breath,” Nino said as he struggled out of his hold. “No, really, what’s up with you?”

“Just excited to see you,” Aiba said sheepishly moving his feet a little nervously while looking sideways. 

Nino snorted as he crossed his hands in front of his chest. “Yeah, sure… What’s really up?”

“I’m not allowed to tell,” Aiba whined as he wrung his hands. “Let’s go before we are too late.”

Nino rolled his eyes but nodded, somehow feeling excited himself now that he got dragged along by Aiba. He stumbled a bit as Aiba took two steps at once and he couldn’t keep up with his long legs, but soon they were on even ground and then ran over the grounds to the small hut close to the forest where Aiba’s grandfather was waiting for the students already with a big smile on his face.

“Hello Jii-chan,” Nino greeted the old man that he had become to like over the time he had known Aiba. 

“Good morning, Ninomiya-kun. I’m happy that you decided to join us,” the man said softly. He had already decided that the younger boy was almost as good with animals as his grandson was. The complete opposite of the Matsumoto boy, who tried hard as well, but it was too forced and scared for it to work. 

“I’m looking forward to it,” Nino said, realising that it was the truth. He had still been a bit unsure about what to do and if Care of Magical Creatures really was the right class to attend, but now that he was here, it seemed like the best option. 

“Did Masaki already let slip what we are studying today?” 

Nino shook his head with a bright grin on his face. “No, but he almost did,” he chuckled when Aiba blushed a bit at his words. 

“It’s exciting. I haven’t handled unicorns before,” he said with a pout, sending Nino into a fit of laughter that had the boy doubling over. 

Aiba paled when he realised that he had now blurted out what they would do today. He looked around, but luckily no other students were there yet since he and Nino were early. 

“But really?” Nino asked the older man who smiled in amusement as he nodded. “Yes, fowls though. They are still young, so you have to be careful while taking care of them.”

Both boys nodded happily, and Nino looked around with a happy glint in his eyes. “How is Button, Ninomiya-kun?”

“He is good. He sleeps beside my bed now, and we snuggle a bit each night before he goes out to hunt for mice,” he said happily. “And he likes Kairy. In summer we were with Oh-chan, and we were worried they would fight, but they really are good together.”

“That sounds wonderful,” the old man said with a slight laugh. “It’s pretty normal for magical Beasts to get along with other Beasts of people their owners like.”

“That’s good. Oh-chan and I are very good friends,” he said.

Aiba snorted slightly at his words as he looked around when the other students slowly came closer, chatting to each other. “Class is about to start,” he said. 

“You’re right,” the man agreed as the man clapped to get the attention of the other students. Nino looked back at the castle for a moment until he listened to the explanations seriously. He really wanted to see the unicorn fowls soon and learn all about them.

Aiba and Nino were chatting happily when they wandered back to the castle. Their lunch break was almost over because Aiba’s grandfather had allowed them to play with the fowls a bit longer if they helped to brush them down. There had been no way that Nino would say no to that offer and he had been delighted when one of the golden fowls had head-butted him. Since they were still so small, there was no horn or something that would have been dangerous for them. 

“You’re late,” they heard Ohno’s slight scolding voice as they entered the lunch hall. As they had been expected, most of the students were already finished with their lunch, and they hurried over to the table where his friends were sitting. 

“Aiba-sensei showed us unicorn fowls. They were sooo cute,” Nino said happily as he got pushed down on a chair beside Ohno. He grinned happily when the older man ordered food for him and growled slightly when Nino went on and on about how great Aiba was with all the animals and how much he had been able to tell him in whispers about stuff his grandfather hadn’t taught the rest of the class.

Nino ate his food slowly thanking Ohno for choosing his favourite, which brought a small smile on Ohno’s face as he got Nino’s attention finally back.

—

“Nino and I have a project for Potions that we need to do together,§ Jun explained as he glared at Ohno. Ohno was pouting slightly at his words but tried hard to look innocent.

“And why are you telling me that?” he asked with a frown. 

“Because I don’t want you to lurk around. Nino can’t concentrate if you are close,” Jun said with a shrug.

“That’s not true. He ignores me whenever he studies.”

Jun snorted slightly at those words. “Yeah, he tries at least. And he succeeds if the stuff we are doing is interesting. But he’s not that interested in Potions since he isn’t that good with it. So, it’s easy to distract him.”

“I do not distract him.”

Jun continued to glare at him crossing his arms over his chest as he looked him down. (And how he manages that is forever a miracle to Ohno since he was the taller of the two of them.)

Ohno pouted as he stared down at the floor, shuffling his feet. Jun’s glares were scary. 

“I don’t care how much time you spend together. I’m neither sad nor jealous like the others because you tend to monopolise Nino. I know he likes you and I know he sees you as his big brother. But I swear if you disturb us the hours we need for this project and make me fail the test, I will get my revenge.”

“But we always do our homework together. Nino will realise if I’m not there.”

“That’s why I planned to do the project when you have your silly Quidditch training. Nino is on another team, so he’ll be free in the evening. I just don’t want you to skip training or come back early. We’ll come to the library when we are ready, and you will wait.”

Ohno sighed, but then he shrugged. He knew that Nino wouldn’t be happy if he failed the test either. Yes, it was not his favourite subject (mostly because Jun was so much better than he was), but he still cared about his grades. “Okay, okay. But I still think you exaggerate. I do not monopolise Nino, and there is no reason for any of you to be jealous.”

“If you say so,” Jun said with amusement shining in his eyes, laughing silently when the pout became more prominent. He dragged Ohno to the great hall where the rest was already at a big table enjoying dinner. 

“There you are!” Nino exclaimed when they sat down at the table. Jun snickered when he sat down on the only free chair beside Nino, much to Ohno’s disappointment who was forced to sit down on Jun’s other side. 

“Sorry, I talked with sensei about a time when we can lend the classroom for our project.”

Nino’s face fell as that reminded him but not for long. “Ah yes, I almost forgot. When is it free?”

“Tomorrow evening, right after dinner,” Jun said as he tapped his wand on the menu to choose the meal set for tonight. 

“Eh?! I wanted to watch Oh-chan’s training. He promised me to show me a new trick,” Nino whined. 

“It’s the only night it’s free, and all other times it’s free either you or I have a lesson,” Jun said with a small frown in his direction. “Ohno can show you another time. You won’t die overnight.”

“I guess,” Nino mumbled with a pout. 

—

“Oh-chan?” Nino’s voice was small and unsure in the darkness. He was sitting in a seat in the stands watching as Ohno painted a stunning star map for one of his classes. Nino wasn’t sure if it was for Divination or Astronomy, but he thought that he really wanted to have one for himself.

“Hum?” Ohno said absentmindedly a she looked at a small appliance in his hand before staring back into the stars and then putting something in the map. 

“Do you think we spend too much time together?”

“Why do you think that?”

Nino shrugged as he pulled the cloak closer around himself. He smiled when Kairy came over to settle on his lap, warming him up even more like this. “I dunno. The others make jokes about it, and some people in school make fun of us always being together.”

Ohno frowned at the words, looking over at Nino who looked honestly troubled about it. “Do you like spending time with me?”

“Yes!”

“And I like spending time with you. So I don’t think we spend too much time together. It only would be if one of us thinks so,” he said as he put down his pencil to climb over the first row to sit down beside him. Nino sighed softly as he automatically snuggled up to the older man. 

“What exactly is troubling you?”

“They… Nothing, sorry, Oh-chan.”

“Nino…” Ohno sighed, trying to figure how to force Nino to tell him what was on his mind. But when Nino shook his head and just snuggled closer, he sighed as he put his arms around the smaller boy. He put his head to his hair, smiling softly. He burrowed his nose to his hair, enjoying the soft spicy smell that reminded him of Nino so much. It was his favourite one, Ohno had already decided long ago.


	8. Reasons

Sho was lying on his bed, reading a book that was levitating in front of his eyes when his concentration was broken as the door opened and was thrown shut with a small huff coming from Ohno. 

“What happened, Satoshi-kun?” he asked as the book was shut and put on the bedside table. Sho sat up to look at Ohno who was looking slightly frustrated. It was seldom that the older boy was ruffled and Sho had learnt that it was better to intervene early if he was, otherwise accidents happened because Satoshi was too emotionally unstable. 

“A few girls confessed to me and made a big thing out of it when I told them I’m not interested. They upset Nino,” Ohno mumbled as he fell on his bed with a sigh. 

He didn’t mind those confessions that much. Normally the girls (and once or twice the boy) were understanding, if sad but left him alone. Now they were demanding reasons for him denying them since they were the best thing that could happen to him. 

Ohno didn’t even know those girls. They were only interested in him because he was good at Quidditch and in class and everybody knew that he wasn’t in a relationship yet. Satoshi knew that.

Still, they didn’t know him and he didn’t know them so there was no way he would be interested in them. 

“And that’s a big thing because?”

“Because I hate it when they make Kazu upset. He vanished and I couldn’t find him to explain that he shouldn’t care about such things.” Ohno bit his lips and Sho had to fight back a laugh at his face. 

“I don’t think he’ll be mad. Don’t worry.”

Ohno was silent for a while before he smiled softly, closing his eyes. “I know.”

Sho observed Ohno for a while as he was drawing on his bed, his brows furrowed. Sho guessed the picture would be a present for Nino which brought him back to the confessions. 

“Hey, Satoshi-kun?”

“What?” Ohno said absentmindedly without looking up. 

Sho knew that this meant Ohno wasn’t listening to him and with a small frown he nudged the other with his wand. 

“Be careful where you stick this,” Ohno grumbled when sparks went over his face. But it made him put the drawing pad to the side, watching Sho curiously now. 

“Why do you never date?”

“I told you, I’m not interested in people I barely know.”

“But you date to get to know people better during the time you date. So that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“I’m just not interested.”

“Because you’re interested in Nino?”

Ohno glared at Sho and crossed his arms in front of his chest but there was a worried look on his face at those words. He deflated slightly as he stared at the floor between their beds. 

“I’m not… Not that way… I don’t know.”

“Satoshi-kun… You have known him for seven years now. Isn’t it strange? He became just fourteen.”

“I know,” Ohno said in a small voice. But he couldn’t help it. It wasn’t as if he would jump Nino or try to get closer to him or force something on him, but the thought of Nino’s upset face made it impossible for him to even be with someone else. 

“Why is it always Nino?”

“Because I know him better than anybody else and still feel as if I don’t know him good enough. There is so much more that I don’t know but would love to know about him. I want to see him happy because it’s the most beautiful sight for me to see him grinning brightly with that glint in his eyes. That special glint when his pranks go right is adorable.”

Sho hummed a little as a sign that he was still listening to him. 

“Nino is strong. He has grown a lot in these past few years and got very confident in his skills. But he is also so very vulnerable and gets lonely so easily. I hate it when he is sad or hurt and I would love to protect him from everything bad in this world even if I know it’s not possible.”

Ohno was blushing slightly at his words but it seemed as if he couldn’t stop them now that he was talking. He had held himself back so much and never spoke about it but now… With Sho asking it was as if he could open his heart and thoughts for the very first time. 

“I always thought of him as a little brother somehow but… I don’t even know. I don’t think about having sex or something with Nino. He is fourteen, still a child after all. But I don’t want to see him upset because of people flirting with me and show him that he is the only one in my mind, which is stupid, because I don’t think Nino would ever think of me like that.”

Sho grimaced at the mention of sex, he really didn’t want to imagine any of his friends having sex. He was happy enough that Ohno didn’t seem to be interested in masturbating, at least not in their shared room and that was all the thoughts he wanted to have about that at all. 

“So you like him.”

“A lot,” Ohno confessed as he bit his lip. He could easily imagine him being with Nino, growing old together, hugging each other, spending time to each other, reading to each other, smiling at each other, Nino cooking and him sitting at the table talking to him, him coming home in the evening to Ohno or even the other way around. Ohno doing laundry when the door opened and Nino came in, both adults, sharing smiles, touching hands. He sighed rubbing his face. 

“I’m awful.”

“You’re in love.”

“I can’t be, Sho-kun. He is a child.”

“He is growing up and he likes you.”

“We grew up together, he thinks of me as a friend. Of course, he likes me.”

Sho shrugged with a smile. “There are always childhood sweethearts, Satoshi-kun. You wouldn’t be the first ones that knew each other from a young age, growing up together and then falling in love.”

Ohno bit his lips as he thought it over and then nodded slowly. He supposed Sho was right. His biggest problem was the age difference. He didn’t want to influence Nino in any way. 

“The important thing is to not force yourself on him,” Sho scolded him then with a stern look on his face. “I will kick you hard if it feels like you do.”

Ohno grinned at these words and nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

Sho laughed as he shook his head. “Honestly, me threatening you shouldn’t be something you thank me for.”

“Yeah, but I am blind when it comes to Nino and I want to protect him. If I am a threat to him and don’t see it I am relieved to know you would tell me and make me stop.”

Sho shook his head as he picked up his book. “You are an idiot, honestly. But I think that as long as you are just a real friend to Nino you’ll be good.”

Ohno nodded as he told him again how thankful he was for that.

—

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost…” Sho teased the younger boys that lunch. 

Nino scrunched up his nose in confusion as he laid his head to the side. “I’ve seen ghosts. They are around,” he said. 

“It’s a saying of no-magic users. I thought you were knowledgeable of them?” Sho asked. 

Nino shrugged as he took his tea to drink from the glass. “My grandma always told me that it’s futile to be scared of ghosts. They are there if they are and will go whenever they are ready for it. And here they are normal. They tell interesting things about the time they’ve lived,” Nino said with bright eyes. He liked talking with the old woman with the nice flowing kimono. She had told him a lot about old theatres. 

Jun giggled beside them while Aiba grinned. “Give up Sho-kun. I think your saying is from western countries.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. But back to topic. You look upset or more like disgusted.”

Ohno sat down beside Sho with a nod at his words. “He’s right.”

Aiba was still giggling since he had already talked to the two youngest who had looked slightly pale when they arrived for their shared lunch. 

“They had a special lesson today,” he started with a wriggle of an eyebrow. At the memory of said lesson, both boys paled again and Nino scrunched up his face in slight disgust and eve shuddered slightly. 

It made Sho and Ohno share a look in wonder. 

“Did the teacher tell you horror stories?” Ohno asked with a small laugh. Their faces at least looked like someone did. 

“That would have been less scary,” Jun said with a frown. “Or it wasn’t scary, right Nino?”

Nino nodded as he shoved the plate filled with food away from him. He didn’t think that he would be able to eat anything right now. 

Ohno frowned slightly at that and then sighed a little bit. 

“Stop talking in riddles then. What happened to you two? It’s eerie to see you like that.”

Jun and Nino exchanged a look with big eyes before shaking their heads. “We don’t want to talk about it,” Jun said then and the eyes of the two oldest wandered over to Aiba who was giggling beside them. 

“Masaki-kun could you tell us? It seems as if they told you at least.”

“Why do you want to know?” Jun whined as Aiba cackled more instead of answering. 

“Because we worry, Jun-kun. You look spooked.”

“They had a lesson with Tama-sensei,” Aiba finally said with a giggle. 

“Oh,” the oldest said together as they looked at each other and then at the two boys who blushed slightly. 

Tama-sensei was not a teacher at their school. But every student will meet her at least once in their life here as she was responsible for the sex-ed in their school. 

“That still doesn’t explain why you look like that, though,” Sho said, laughter clear in his voice. 

“It was horrible,” Nino cried out, hiding his face behind his hands. He knew more about menstrual circles than he had ever hoped for as well as how women’s body worked and his own was supposed to work. 

“But it is important for you to know such things,” Sho said with a small smile as he patted his head. Nino glared slightly when Aiba laughed beside them. 

“We are supposed to have personal lessons from now on once a week. I can’t look into sensei’s eyes,” he whined. 

Ohno smirked slightly at the memory of his sexual education three years ago. Yes, it was a bit overwhelming but he couldn’t remember that they reacted in such a way, he thought. 

“But why do we need to know this?” Jun asked with a frown. “My parents could explain…” 

“Would you ask them?” Sho asked with a lifted eyebrow. 

Jun mulled this over before he shook his head. “No,” he said in a small voice. “But…” 

Jun stopped talking as he thought this over. If told like that it made sense. He would never ask such embarrassing questions to his parents. This teacher he didn’t know and since she forced all the basics on them already there was no way he needed to ask any other person. 

He relaxed slightly as he pulled his plate closer. “But I don’t understand why the personal lessons.”

“Because there are many things that will be more personal now. Not so much for you maybe, but for the girls in class, it will be better. That’s also why that teacher is a woman.”

“But then we could just skip them?” Nino piped up, a little bit of hope in his voice. 

“No, you will need to go there each week or there will be a punishment. The only reason not to go is that you don’t feel comfortable around Tama-sensei and then you will have to go to another teacher of your choice. It’s so that there won’t be discrimination or teasing. If everybody goes, nobody realises that a single student goes to her with problems. But don’t worry. She won’t force you to talk. If there is nothing you need to know after the first three weeks you are allowed to do whatever. I did my homework there,” Ohno explained as he cupped Nino’s face to force him to look up. He caressed his warm ears with a smile. 

“So, don’t look like that. World isn’t going to end. Eat something now and then the afternoon lessons will start.”

“Okay,” Nino mumbled with a frown as he forced some food down his throat before going for the rest of the lessons for that day.

—

“I guess the personal lesson wasn’t much better?” Sho asked a few days later when they met for lunch again. Jun looked as relaxed as ever and was already eating his food while reading something he would need for the next lesson while Nino was glaring at his food.

“Jun-kun do your homework in the evenings.”

“I just want to make sure, Sho,” Jun said as he closed his book with a sigh. “Also, Nino won’t talk.”

“Why?” Ohno asked as he joined them for lunch, tapping on the food he wanted to have on the menu. “And where’s Aiba?”

“Hugging hippogriffs,” Nino growled slightly when he was nudged by Jun in the ribs a few times. 

“What?”

“His grandfather got hippogriffs today for our next lesson,” Nino said with a sigh, still not looking up, but he was talking which seemed to impress Jun. 

“And he is hugging them?”

“I suppose, he was gushing about how cute they were. They are terrifying I think,” Nino said with a shudder, before falling silent again and glaring at his food while stabbing the potatoes he had on his plate today.

Ohno wondered for a moment why he even had food in front of him when he was not going to eat it. But then again, Jun had probably ordered for them both, hoping that Nino would eat once the food was in front of him. 

“What did the potatoes do to you?”

“Nothing,” Nino said with a confused frown. “Potatoes can’t do anything to a person.”

Ohno shrugged at those words with a small amused smile on his face. “Then why are you stabbing them? You should eat and not waste food.”

“What upset you so much. You had your lesson with Tama-sensei, right?” Sho asked a bit more calmly. They all knew that because Nino wasn’t talking about anything else but his nervousness regarding that lesson.

“She asked if there is anybody I liked.”

“And that is bad why?”

“It wasn’t. I told her I like Oh-chan best. She then talked about how we only talked about the basics but there is more I should know if the one I like is a boy and…”

Nino grimaced while the rest looked a bit confused at the boy. Yes, sex-ed could be a bit embarrassing but nobody reacted like that, then again nobody of them was as shy as Nino was in such regards. 

“And?” Ohno prompted softly as he finally took Nino’s fork in fear that he would hurt himself with how hard he stabbed the plate. 

Nino looked at his hands for a second, before frowning and looking at Ohno with furrowed brows a light blush on his face. 

“I will never have sex!” he declared blushing more when he realised how loud he had been. 

Ohno’s mouth fell open in surprise and shock, while Jun groaned and hid his face behind his hands, mumbling something about too much information with a disgusted voice. 

Sho watched them for a moment in silence before turning to the side as he couldn’t hold his laughter in. He patted Ohno’s shoulder absently as he tried to calm down again which seemed to be impossible.

A/N: sorry this is awful. It worked better in my head. Sometimes I think things should just stay there forever xx


	9. Perfect Date

Nino sat on his bed in their dorm, reading a book while making patterns with his wand to make sparks appear and let them dance in their room, chasing each other.

He glared at them for a moment before he threw the book to the side just as the door opened. Jun swore as he almost jumped to the side as to not get the book thrown into his face. 

“What is going on?” he asked as Toma stepped inside behind him, moving his wand in a circular motion and then towards their desk to put the book on top of it. 

“It doesn’t work.”

“What doesn’t?”

“The spell I’m trying to learn,” Nino sighed as he let his head fall against the headrest. He closed his eyes with a small groan. 

“What spell are you trying to learn?” Toma asked as he sat on Nino’s bed, his legs swaying slightly as he observed the other. 

“Making fairy lights appear and then dance together. I can make the lights. I can make them move, but they just chase each other, and I want to make them distinguish shapes, you know?”

“Why would you ever do that? For which class is it?” Toma asked with a frown. 

“Music…”

“Nino, you are not in music class. You can’t take that elective before tenth year,” Jun said with a frown. 

Nino shrugged a little bit. “I can play instruments the no magic users use at home. And I lent a book about music at the school’s library.”

“And now you are trying it out?”

“Yes, but only the easy stuff. So don’t look so worried.”

“Okay, if you say so. But since you have problems, you can stop that now and help us out.”

“Help you out how?” Nino asked with a frown. 

“You’re the best at Charms in our year. And Sho-kun and Ohno-san are both busy with their new electives, so we can’t ask them.”

“What is this about?” 

Toma sighed. “We have that Apparition license soon, and a few other students and I can’t get it right. We wanted to do practice lessons.”

“What has that do with me?” 

“We need someone to check on our movements so that we can make sure not to splinter ourselves,” Jun explained. 

“What you can do it just alright yourself,” Nino said to Jun with a frown. 

“Yes, but I alone can’t do it besides I don’t want to do it alone.”

“Yeah, he would rather read his books on Ancient Runes,” Toma said with a snort. 

“Stop, don’t argue. Let’s go where will that lesson take place?”

“In that training room in the dungeons. We already reserved it. Let’s go then!” Toma said, cheering as he jumped up to his feet, dragging Nino along with him. Nino rolled his eyes as he shared a look with Jun over Toma’s head. 

“Seems like you are nervous,” he mumbled. 

Toma shrugged. Of course, he was. He really wanted to pass that damn test and be allowed to apparate wherever he wanted. 

Nino waved to the others as they entered the room and then clapped his hand to stand beside Jun and stop all the chatter. 

“Let’s do this,” he mumbled, chuckling when Jun hit his elbow to his side and glared at him. 

Nino grinned as he started to explain the spell again and then explained it more in-depth to everybody if they had questions. 

—

“Oh-chan, I missed you,” Nino whined as he stepped into the dorm of the older boys. 

“Very happy to see you as well,” Sho said sarcastically from his place at the desk.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there,” Nino said as he walked over to the older to take a peek over his shoulder to see what he was reading. It was a big leather-bound book, and just looking at the hieroglyphs gave him a headache. He never could understand Sho’s interest in studying all those theoretical things. 

It was boring, but he knew it fitted Sho well. The older had already planned out his future, Nino knew. “Can you go out?”

“Nino, that’s my room!” Sho said, clenching his fists. “You know when we allowed you to come in, it was to get us or study with us if you needed help. Not for you to march in and throw me out of my room.”

“I get it, sorry. But please?”

Ohno chuckled from where he was on the bed and finally sat up. He had tried to take a nap, but the loud voices had woken him up easily. 

“Stop bullying, Sho-kun. He might cry.”

“I do NOT cry,” Sho said with a frown on his face. 

Nino giggled as he hugged him tightly around the shoulders. “Aw don’t cry; where does it hurt?” he said, laughing when Sho pushed him a little. He stumbled a few steps, but by then, Ohno had gotten up and hugged him from behind. 

“He has middle-term tests. Let him be, Nino, and let’s go outside. Kairy probably would be happy to go on a walk on the grounds with us,” Ohno said. 

“But I wanted to nap with you,” Nino said with a pout. 

“Get a room, you two,” Sho said with a frown. 

“I tried to get you to leave,” Nino mumbled with a slightly confused face. 

Ohno, though blushed and finally started to push Nino out of the room. “Fresh air,” he repeated.

Nino followed him, enjoying the warm arm around his shoulders as he was let out to the grounds. 

“So, what are all the dramatics about?” Ohno asked with a frown as they were finally outside.

“What dramatics?”

“You are marching into our dorm,” Ohno said with a small smile. “And railing up Sho. You clearly saw him.”

Nino blushed slightly and looked to around until his eyes caught Kairy, who was climbing a tree. “Kairy might need your help,” he said.

“She’s fine. She has climbed higher trees,” Ohno said as he ruffled his hair. 

“Nino, what’s wrong? You can always tell me if you have problems, right? You’re my best friend, after all.”

Nino looked at him for a second sighing before his eyes fell away again, looking at Kairy jumping around. 

“Best friend, yeah,” he whispered, looking down. 

Ohno looked at him in worry for a moment and then slightly nudged him. “Nino?”

“I… Oh-chan… Uhm…”

“Nino! Ohno-kun! Good that I see you, I need help. We have a bunch of pixies on the loose. Can you help grandpa and me catching them?!” Aiba’s panicked voice interrupted Nino, who stiffened and turned around as he took a step to the side at the same time. 

Ohno frowned as his arm slipped from around the shoulders, almost glaring at Aiba, who stopped short in front of them, trying to calm his breaths. 

Nino’s brows were furrowed in worry at his form, and he brought out a hand to put it on Aiba’s shoulder. 

“Aiba, you need to…”

“I’m fine, Nino,” Aiba said with a grin. “The medics said, so remember? I can do sports.”

“Yes, sorry.”

“Uhm, Aiba-chan? What do you mean on the loose?”

“Oh, yes! They got out from the cage, can you help?”

“I suppose,” Ohno said, looking at Nino. 

“Yes, of course,” Nino said with a small grimace. “It’s not as if we had anything else we were doing.”

There was a pout on his face, but Aiba just put his arms around the both of them to bring them to the hut of his grandfather. 

There was chaos inside and both, Nino and Ohno, needed a moment to get their bearings before they shared an amused look before starting to shoot spells around to stun the creatures. 

—

“Ask him out,” Jun said, suddenly. 

Nino blinked as he put his brush down. “What are you talking about?”

“Saturday is Valentine’s Day.”

“So?”

“So, ask him out.”

“Ask who out?” 

“Nino, you are not stupid, so stop this act. It’s getting ridiculous.”

Nino pouted as he stared down at his homework. “I can’t, J.”

“Why not? You are in love with him.”

“’ Am not,” Nino denied trying to hide his face behind a book. 

“Your ears are all red, Nino. You are a bad liar. You’ve been in love with him since you were seven.”

“Was not!”

Jun chuckled as he came closer to the other and put his arms on top of his shoulders to rest his head-on.

“Okay, maybe not since you were seven, but we won’t know that since we were too young then to know how to be in love and what that meant. But you know now, right?”

Nino shrugged carefully, not enough to shook the other off. “Do I now? How should I know it’s not just an infatuation?”

Jun snorted but then let him go to lie down on his bed. “Okay, let’s play a game.”

“I’m quite sure I won’t like that game,” Nino said warily. 

Jun smiled as he waved him over. “Come here, you idiot.”

Nino grinned slightly as he climbed into bed with the other. They had cuddled like that a lot when they had just moved to the dorms and were all very lonely boys far away from home for the first time. Jun had stopped when he had grown up, saying that it was too mushy and too childish to do so. 

Jun put an arm around him and ruffled his hair. 

“The game?”

“Imagine Ohno talking to someone else every day, smiling at them, taking their hands in his own.”

Nino shrugged. Ohno did those things daily with all of them. 

“And don’t imagine us,” Jun scolded with a grin as he took Nino’s nose between his fingertips and tapped his temple. 

“I won’t,” Nino said nasally the pout evident in his voice. Jun stuck out his tongue as he let him go. 

“Good. Now, imagine him not having time for you anymore. At least not as much as now. If he has free time between classes, he will spend it with someone else, not with you. Hugs won’t be allowed anymore.”

Nino frowned a little bit. He wouldn’t like that. If he were honest, he would probably hate that. 

“He would spend only with them sometimes. He would go with them on holiday just the two of them, not thinking about you at all.”

Nino cast his eyes away stubbornly, trying to ignore Jun and his words, but Jun made him meet his eyes just as persistently. 

“Nino, how would you feel if he kisses them? If they have secrets, you don’t know about?”

Tears were falling from his eyes. He couldn’t answer those words. He didn’t want to imagine Ohno kissing others or being close to them or whispering in their ears. He didn’t like to imagine Ohno and someone else but him, staying up late at night talking about their secrets to each other. 

Sobs could be heard in their room as he felt Jun’s arms tighten around him. 

“Nino, I’m not saying that to be cruel to you, you have to know, right?”

“It hurts to think about that, Jun. I really would hate that so much.”

“And that is why you are in love with him. Your heart aches for him. That is also why you need to tell him.”

“I can’t. He sees me as his best friend, maybe as a little brother.”

“If you really think so, then you are stupider than I thought.”

“He said so himself.”

“Of course, he would, Nino,” Jun said patiently, stroking his back slowly up and down to calm him down. 

“Why if it wasn’t true?” Nino looked up with tears streaked down his cheeks. Jun tutted as he wiped his cheeks clean. 

“Because he loves you for so long now that he is scared to take a step further. The last thing Ohno wants to do is hurt you or force you into something you are not yet ready to do.”

Nino grimaced a little at those words. 

“We all know he is in love with you. And we all have warned him in our way. He’ll be terrified to ask you out, so you have to be brave and do it.”

“What if you all are wrong?”

“Do you think if we are wrong, he will hurt you then?”

Nino furrowed his brows, but then he shook his head. Even if Ohno would let him down, Nino couldn’t imagine that he would be cruel doing that. 

“See? And now talk to him and ask him out to the city on Saturday. It’s Valentine’s Day, and I don’t think he’s going to say no.”

“I’m still not sure that he doesn’t have a date.”

Jun rolled his eyes at those words. “He would have said so already if he did. But okay. We’ll talk about this at dinner. And then you ask him, promise?”

“’ Kay,” Nino agreed reluctantly. 

Jun grinned before pushing him away slowly after a few more minutes of cuddling, saying that this was quite enough mushy talk now and got a cup of hot chocolate for Nino as he continued his homework. 

In the evening, Jun was as subtle as a bull when he asked them all about their plans for Saturday, but it made it possible for Nino to know that there was nothing Ohno had planned. 

—

“Oh-chan, will you go on a date with me?” Nino mumbled as he walked back and forth in his room. He frowned as he shook his head. That was stupid.

“Ohno-san…” What the hell? He never would call Ohno that. 

“Satoshi, I really like you. Like, like like. Not just friends like but the love like. So would you…” Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!

Jun was right. He was stupid. And Toma was right at saying that he should just tell Ohno to meet up. But he wanted to make sure that this was special. 

“Since we are both free, we could go to the city on Saturday… You know, like for a date?” Nino tried again, staring at his reflection in the mirror. He frowned deeply at the face looking back. He looked awful. 

“As if Ohno would agree to date someone as me,” Nino mumbled with a sigh. He looked tiny, just like a child. He was so stupid to have agreed to this. 

Still, there was no way he would chicken out now. He wanted to spend Saturday with Ohno! He turned around, still deep in thought as he wandered again through the dorm room. 

“Oh-chan, will you be my Valentine?” he tried again. 

“I would love to.”

Nino spun around so fast that he went dizzy for a moment and almost fell, if not for Ohno jumping forward to catch him. 

“Oh-chan?” he asked in a voice that was so squeaky he didn’t realise as his own. 

Ohno smiled down at him as he carefully put him upright. “I really would love being your Valentine, would you be mine?”

Nino knew he was blushing. His face was hot as well his ears. “Yes,” he whispered, not believing his luck.

—

Nino was nervous as he stood in front of his wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear. Outside of school, they were allowed to wear something else than their school robes, and he had never thought about what to wear, and it gave him a headache.

“Just wear whatever you like. Ohno knows you in all of your things, and I’m sure he likes them all on you.”

“But it has to be perfect,” Nino whined. 

“It will be perfect because it is with Ohno,” Jun said as he stepped closer and put his hands on Nino’s shoulder. “Honestly, breathe. It will be fun. It’s Ohno, after all.”

Nino stared at the younger and then sighed softly before he nodded. “You know? You got really cheeky.”

Jun grinned as he ruffled Nino’s head with his fingertips. “Well, I had a good teacher. Now go before you are late, okay?”

“Yep, until tonight, J.”

—

“What should I do with him?” Ohno asked Sho with a frown. “It has to be special. Nino deserves nothing less than the best.”

“Just be yourself. Nino is in love with you, Satoshi-kun,” Sho said with a sigh. “Take him out and treat him right.”

“I would never want to hurt him,” Ohno mumbled with a frown.

“And that’s all that is important,” Sho said as he patted his shoulder. “You and Nino know each other so well. It might be a bit awkward, so make sure he is comfortable.”

“I will,” Ohno nodded with a frown. 

“And don’t forget we all will kill you if you force yourself upon him and deflower him on your first date.”

Ohno stared at Sho for a moment open-mouthed and wide-eyed before he shook his head. 

“I pretend I didn’t hear you say that. Otherwise, I don’t know if I should laugh or kill you for even thinking about such things concerning Nino.”

Sho had the grace to look guilty, but then he grinned. “I think you should go or you’ll be late. Nino is nervous enough and probably panicking if you aren’t outside if he arrives.”

Ohno swore as he checked the time and then left with quick steps. He could see Nino outside on the grand stairs waling up and down nervously as he stared at his watch every few seconds. He was cute. Especially since he was wearing a pastel blue shirt with long sleeves and black jeans. His hair was tousled, probably because of the wind, and he wore a scarf around his neck against the wind. There was no coat, but Ohno knew that Nino used to spell his clothes to keep him warm and hated having to wear coats and would be fine. 

“Hey, sorry, I’m late.”

“No, I’m just early,” Nino whispered, his cheeks going adorably red, and Ohno had to hold himself back not to scoop in and kiss his red nose. But it was way too early for that. 

“Shall we go?”

“We shall,” Nino nodded after a moment and took the offered hand of Ohno. 

“What do you have in mind for today?” Nino asked, his voice still adorably high pitched. 

“I thought we could go to the arcades and then have lunch, walk around a bit and go to a cafe for cake and tea?”

“Sounds good,” Nino nodded, still speaking rather quietly to hide his nervousness. 

Ohno smiled softly as he tugged him closer to himself and squeezed the warm hand in his. “It’s just us, Nino. Just like every outing we have. No reason to be nervous.”

“I’m not… And it’s not just a normal day. Is it a date? Is it not? Did I…” Nino looked panicky at the other, and Ohno blinked for a second before drawing him closer again. 

“No… No, it is a date. Definitely a date. But it’s us, okay? We know each other we know how to have fun together. So let’s just have fun. Hugs, hand-holding and kisses are optional but not a requirement if you feel uncomfortable.”

“You would like to kiss me?”

“If you would like to,” Ohno agreed as he cupped his cheek and drew a small circle on the hot skin. “You look adorable today, Nino.”

“I would…”

“Huh?”

“To kiss you. I would like that.”

“Maybe tonight when I bring you back, okay?”

“Okay,” Nino said with a smile as he relaxed slightly, his heart doing a strange jump at the thought of kissing Ohno, but it was a good kind.

—

Nino held Ohno’s hand tightly as they went back to the school. It had been a fun date even if they had mostly done the things that they usually did when they were together. The games had been fun, and they had also taken some pictures at the purikura machines because that was the most couple like thing they both could think about. One sheet was securely in Nino’s possession, while Ohno had a second one. 

Nino smiled as he thought of the pictures. He had two favourites. One was where Ohno had put his hands around his shoulders and put his head on top of Nino’s as they had smiled at the camera, and the second was one where Ohno came closer as he pecked his cheek. Nino’s ears had been red when they planned that photo, but luckily the camera hadn’t captured that colour. 

Then they had eaten cake together, sharing two slices because that way, they both could try two cakes with a cup of bitter green tea, which had been an excellent balance to the sweet cream. Nino still blushed at the memory of Ohno wiping the side of his mouth with his finger, when he had smeared a bit of cream there accidentally. Ohno sometimes did that, but he usually used a napkin and wouldn’t put the finger to his mouth. 

Nino glanced at their intertwined hands. Ohno had held his hand almost the whole time, and his fingers felt comfortably warm. He was a bit scared about letting go once they were back. Ohno looked at him with soft eyes as he nudged the boy a little. 

“What are you thinking about?”

“Today,” Nino said with a smile. 

“Did you enjoy today?”

“Immensely. I had so much fun, thank you, Oh-chan. Thank you for today.” He grinned as they entered the grounds and walked back to the entry. 

“I will bring you back to the dorm,” Ohno grinned when they stared at each other a bit insecure about what to do now. 

“Okay,” Nino nodded as he averted his eyes. It was strange to be with the other here at school and let him bring Nino to the dorm. It was not even a proper sendoff since they would see each other for dinner again. 

Their school had a curfew for the days they were allowed to visit the wizarding village connected to the grounds by teleporting. And that was one hour before dinner time for the upper classes and two hours for the lower levels. Since Nino was still one year shy for the later curfew, Ohno always made sure that they were home on time so that he wouldn’t get into any problems.

Ohno squeezed his hand as he brought him up to his dorm room and then took both hands in his own. Nino looked into his eyes shyly before looking down again, making Ohno smile with a hum as he tugged at his hands. 

“Nino?”

“Yes?” Nino breathed, looking up for a second before down again. His cheeks were red, as were his eyes that poked out from under his hair. Ohno grinned as he was so overly cute right now. 

“Thank you for today,” Ohno whispered as he moved closer, bending down slightly to peer into his eyes. Nino was blushing and very adorable right now, Ohno thought as he carefully cupped his cheek and moved his face upwards. Nino stared into Ohno’s eyes, trying hard not to forget how to breathe as Ohno’s face came closer.

“Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Nino agreed almost breathlessly as Ohno smiled so warmly and closed the last of the distance between them to puts a chaste kiss on his lips. 

“We see each other at dinner.”

“Thank you,” Nino said. His heart was beating fast as he opened the door to his room behind his back and silently slipped in, his eyes were still locked on Ohno’s loving ones until he closed the doors. He fell on the bed as his legs connected with the soft mattress. He couldn’t believe that he had finally gotten his first kiss and first date with Ohno. He couldn’t wait for more.


	10. Date Night

Nino was sitting sideways on Ohno’s lap with his head against Ohno’s shoulder; his eyes focused on the book he had in his lap. Ohno was holding him with one hand around the waist to make sure he wouldn’t fall while the other had his brush in hand as he was writing carefully on a scroll of paper while making sure he got the things right from his textbook. 

From time to time, Nino would peck the clothed shoulder of the older boy while Ohno would press his lips against Nino’s head. 

“Nino, we have to prepare,” Jun said as he came to their study table. He frowned when Nino didn’t even seem to realise that he was there. He waited for him to look up and checked the time for a second time before he got fed up and flipped Nino’s nose.

“What?!” Nino groaned as he held his nose, rubbing it slightly. 

“You weren’t listening.”

“You weren’t saying anything.”

“I called you like three times already,” Jun said with a frown. 

Nino continued to rub his nose with a sigh. “And why that?”

“Because we had that partner work, we have to do together. Do you remember? God, I don’t even understand why I always agree to do group projects together with you.”

“Because you enjoy us be able to do them all day in the dorm,” Nino replied with a shrug as he tapped Ohno’s shoulder.

Ohno flinched, looking up with wide eyes. “What?”

Nino giggled at Jun’s confused look on his face. “Oh-chan spells earplugs when he is studying so that he doesn’t get distracted. That’s why I don’t disturb him with my mumbling when I study,” he explained as Ohno moved his fingers through his hair. 

“I have to go, Oh-chan. J and I have a project that’s due in a few days, and we wanted to get a head start.”

“You wanted your weekends free,” Jun disagreed. He would have liked to do it on their free Saturday afternoon or something. 

Nino stuck out his tongue as he hopped from Ohno’s lap. “I have private flying lessons then.”

Jun grimaced at those words. “You two are horrible.”

“We are not. It’s for Quidditch, you idiot.”

“Sure… Whatever.”

Nino rolled his eyes as he watched Jun’s retreating back and was about to follow him when Ohno tugged at his wrist to bring him close again. He smiled as he kissed his cheek. 

“See you later.”

“Yup, later.” Nino agreed as he ran after Jun before the other could yell at him.

—

“Thank you for helping me out,” Aiba said to them. 

Nino grinned as he climbed over the fence that separated them from the unicorns they were supposed to feed and clean. 

“It’s no problem, Aiba-chan. If your grandpa is ill, it’s only normal that we help. Also, I like being here,” Nino said as he stepped closer to the unicorn, his left hand up in the air as he waited for the unicorn to come closer and accept him. He smiled when the unicorn pressed its snout against his hand and gave him a treat. 

“But it takes away from your weekend,” Aiba said with a small frown on his face. 

Nino shrugged as he stroke the soft fur of the unicorn while Ohno tended to the other so that they could lead them inside, for now, to clean out the space outside. 

“It would be even worse if you had to do it all alone. Magic doesn’t help here,” Ohno said. 

“When is the rest coming?”

“Late afternoon. Sho and Jun-kun have an extra class for… I don’t actually remember,” Aiba said with a grimace. “I don’t know why they find studying so interesting.”

“Learning new things is exciting,” Nino said with a smile as he pulled out his wand. “Help me, will you? Or we will be stuck here for a long time.”

At least the cleaning could be done with magic. 

Nino sat on the fence as he watched the sun go down. The sky was painted in red and yellow hues, and somehow it made the evening very peaceful. 

“Where is the rest?” Ohno asked as he came over to him, standing in front of him, his hands on his waist. 

“Aiba is inside with J, trying to get him to meet with some Pygmy Puffs and Puffskein. They don’t have teeth. But I think J is weirded out by the Puffskeins and their like of bogeys.”

“Good decision,” Ohno said with a chuckle. Today had been spectacular once Jun and Sho had come over. Jun had tried very hard to connect with any of those creatures, but it had never ended well. 

“It’s good that Jun didn’t decide to take care of magical creatures,” Nino said with a giggle. 

“Very good,” Ohno agreed as he stepped even closer to him. Nino smiled as he swayed his legs slightly. 

“Sorry that our flight session got canceled,” Ohno said with a soft smile as he came even closer. 

Nino bent low to press his lips against Ohno’s. “I liked being here, tending to the animals. Do you think Aiba’s grandfather is going to be okay?”

“Hopefully. But we might need to help more often.”

Nino nodded. He didn’t mind. He hummed in thoughtfulness. “Maybe we could make a sign and ask for volunteers? There might be people willing to help on the weekends.”

“Sounds good, at least until Masaki-kun graduates. I believe he wants to take up his grandfather’s place.”

“He would make a good teacher,” Nino agreed.

Ohno grinned as he tugged at his wrist to make him jump down from the fence. Nino laughed out loud when he landed in Ohno’s arms. “Wanna feed them?”

“Yes, they are beautiful under the moon,” Nino whispered as he stepped closer to the unicorns again. “And they’ve grown so much.”

“Oh yes, you took care of them as fowls,” Ohno remembered. 

“Yes, they were adorable.”

“Not as much as you.”

“God, guys, really?” Sho asked, laughter in his voice while Jun made a gagging sound. 

They blushed a bit, looking at the others. 

Aiba was grinning brightly. “Thank you, guys. But you should head back to the school. Only I’m allowed to stay with my grandfather goodnight.”

Nino held out his hand for Ohno, who took it, and they went back to the castle, followed by the rest. 

—

Nino opened the door to Sho’s and Ohno’s dorm, bending low to pick up Kairy when the kneazle ran up to him. 

“Hey there,” he whispered as he hugged her close. “Are you alone?”

“She’s not, but I’m about to head out.”

“Oh hi there, Sho-kun.”

“Hey, Nino, is everything okay?”

“Mind if I hide here for a bit?” Nino asked, still hugging Kairy. 

“No, do you need something, Nino? Is everything okay with you?”

“Yes, I’m just tired.”

“Then why don’t you sleep at your place?” Sho asked as he got closer and ruffled his hair. Nino shrugged as he pushed off his shoes and threw himself on Ohno’s bed. 

Kairy purred as she rolled up against him. “Toma has his girlfriend over, and I don’t want to throw them out when I can just come here.”

“I see. Don’t do anything stupid then.”

“I won’t. Have fun or whatever.”

“Brat,” Sho said with a grin as he left the room after a moment. 

Nino listened to the door closing behind himself and rolled on his side to stroke the soft fur of Kairy. “You’re so cute,” he cooed as he played with its ears. 

“This bed is so much comfier than mine,” Nino said with a hum, as he buried his face into the good smelling cushion of Ohno. He stayed in bed, snuggling with Kairy even as he slowly fell to sleep. He hadn’t lied when he told Sho that he was tired. He had been up almost all night studying, and now he needed rest more than anything. 

Ohno chuckled as he entered the bedroom. Sho had sent him a small folded crane to tell him that Nino was in their room. 

So he was extra careful not to wake him when he went further into the room. Nino was lying on his side, one hand under his head as soft breathes left his slightly open mouth. The other arm was around Kairy, who was sleeping beside them. He smiled as he put a blanket over Nino’s sleeping form before trying to find out how long Nino had been asleep. 

He frowned as he caressed Nino’s brow and decided half an hour wouldn’t hurt. He pulled out his sketchpad to draw the sleeping form of the younger boy. 

He looked up when Kairy began to move in the arms of his boyfriend, who grunted a little but didn’t wake up. The kneazle licked Nino’s nose, who scrunched it up before he opened his eyes sleepily. “Thank you for waking me up,” Nino said with a yawn, before sitting up and looking at Ohno. 

“You’re back.”

“Yes, my classes are over for today.”

“What are you drawing?”

Nino knelt on the bed, and Ohno wanted to remember this pose so that he could draw it later. “You.”

Nino blushed as he averted his eyes. “You are stupid, you know?”

“I just draw only the most beautiful things I can lay my eyes on, and that’s you right now.”

“Stupid,” Nino said, laughing softly as he held out his hand. “Join me?”

“We should go have dinner.”

Nino pouted, but he nodded. “I suppose you are right,” he said then. “Afterwards, I actually should do my homework.”

Ohno nodded as he pulled him close to kiss his forehead. “Then let’s go.”

“Yup.”

—

“Oh-chan?”

“Yes, what is it, Nino?”

“Do you know what you want to be when you graduate?”

Ohno tightened his arms around Nino’s waist as he looked down the tower they had snuck into. 

He leant back against the wall while moving his wand slightly to make the window bigger so that they could watch the stars better from their position. 

“Eh… Not really,” Ohno said with a shrug. “But I’m not worried about that just yet. I have the whole year to figure it out. And if I won’t know by the time I finish school I’m sure my parents won’t mind. Do you?”

Nino shook his head silently as he looked at the falling stars in the sky. “They look beautiful,” he mumbled. 

“Yes,” Ohno answered with a smile as he caressed his side. 

Nino sighed happily as his fingers ran through the fur of Kairy, who was sleeping by their feet with Button on top of her head. 

“I want to stay with you, though,” Nino said suddenly, looking up again. 

Ohno blinked as he met Nino’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

“In my future… I don’t know what to do just yet, but whatever I decide, I want you to be in it.”

Ohno smiled as he squeezed his hand softly with his own, before hugging him a little bit closer. “That goes without saying.”

Nino smiled happily as he put his head on the shoulder of Ohno to once more concentrate on the stars outside. 

They stayed like that for a while until Ohno carefully nudged him. “We have to leave, sorry.”

Nino sighed but nodded as he woke Kairy and Button. “We have to leave before the teachers catch us,” he explained to them. Kairy nudged him back as she left the tower for Ohno and Nino to follow. 

Ohno smiled as he took Nino’s hand to bring him safely back to his room. Where Nino tried not to wake the other two as he fell to his bed with a giggle, he loved those moments with Ohno just alone that he would never tell anybody else about. 

—

“What is wrong with you two?” Jun asked when he sat down for dinner. He checked the menu for a second before deciding on something he wanted to eat. 

“Nothing?” Ohno and Nino said together, before looking at each other and dissolving into giggles again. Jun groaned slightly as he took Nino’s glass of tea to sniff at it only to make sure that it wasn’t alcohol or something. Not that they were supposed to get it in school.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure you are not drugged up or anything like that,” Jun mumbled. 

“They are like that all day already,” Sho said with a groan, looking at each other and then giggling like they are crazy.”

“Crazy in lo~ove,” Aiba added with a bright grin.

“Figures,” Jun mumbled. 

Nino stuck out his tongue at Jun, who frowned and made to grab it when a spark from Ohno’s wand made him stop. 

“What the?”

“I still need that,” Ohno said, looking at Nino with a small wink who blushed as he hid his face behind his hand. 

“Too much information.”

—

“This is dangerous,” Nino said when Ohno’s arm surrounded him as he held to the broom. 

“Just hold on tight, it’ll be fun.”

“If I die because of you, I will haunt you as a ghost,” Nino warned. 

Ohno chuckled as he pressed his lips against his collarbone. “You won’t, but if you end up as a ghost, you will be a very cute one and welcomed at mine all the time. But I won’t let you fall.”

“I trust you,” Nino decided as he pressed back against Ohno, who smiled down at him as he finally pushed them off the floor. 

Nino shrieked as they were high in the air as he grabbed on Ohno’s arm, hitting him slightly when Ohno let go with one hand, to hold onto Nino’s bringing them down together again. 

Nino smiled as their fingers intertwined. He leant against Ohno a bit more relaxed as he turned his head to press a kiss against his chin. 

Ohno grinned as he pressed his face close to his own. Goosebumps raised on his arms when warm breath hit his cheek. 

Ohno steered the broom, making Nino shriek with excitement from time to time when Ohno made a swoop to show him some moves for their Quidditch team.

Their laughter was stopped suddenly when sparks appeared in front of Ohno, who stopped their broom mid-flight.

“Come down right now!” a teacher yelled at them. 

Ohno and Nino exchanged a look before they dissolved in giggles. “Busted,” Ohno said as he brought them down. Nino jumped from the broom as soon as they were on the floor again. Ohno stepped off the broom as well to look apologetically at the teacher. 

“It’s my fault; I forced Nino to come with me.”

“No, I forced Oh-chan to teach me,” Nino disagreed with a frown. 

“I don’t care. Go inside. Tomorrow you’ll have detention. You should know better, Ohno-kun.”

“I’m sorry,” Ohno repeated as he tugged at Nino’s hand before he could argue. “Come on. I’ll bring you back to your room.”

“Okay. Good night, sensei.”

“Good night, Ninomiya-kun, Ohno-kun.”

Ohno brought him inside and held both of his hands when they were in front of his dorm room. He smiled as he tugged at them slightly. 

Nino stumbled a little at that. Ohno smiled down at him as he kissed his forehead, his nose, and in the end, his lips. “Good night, Kazu.”

“Good night, Oh-chan.”

—

“Oh-chan?”

“Mhm?”

“I think we should do something special, Christmas time.”

“Don’t move.”

Nino frowned but stayed still, blinking when Ohno stunned the fairies he had made just a few seconds ago. 

There was a click from Ohno’s camera before the fairies shuddered slightly as the spell was taken from them. They chattered angrily at Ohno before continuing the dance to Nino’s music. 

“What special thing?”

“I don’t know. We have a week’s holiday.”

“Didn’t we want to go home to our parents?”

“Mum has to work, so I probably stay here. Would you stay here with me?”

Ohno hummed under his breath as he looked at the picture he had taken.

“You are adorable, otherworldly.”

“You are silly.”

“Okay, I will take you out,” Ohno decided. “Overnight. You need to get a permit from your mother, though.”

“You don’t?”

“No, I’m already an adult in wizard terms,” Ohno said with a grin. 

“Unfair,” Nino said with a pout. 

“What do you wish to do?” Ohno asked as he put his camera away and laid down on Nino’s bed. Nino looked up from his place at the floor as he tried to come up with a new melody. 

“I want snow and fairy lights, and I want to be outside, see the stars, I would love to have a big bed to share with you, and I want a hot spring outside,” Nino said as he hummed under his breath. 

Ohno hummed in agreement as Nino went on about what he wanted to do for the holidays. When no answer came from Ohno’s side, he looked up. His eyes widened when he saw that Ohno had fallen asleep and was softly snoring. 

Nino jumped to his feet, not knowing if he should feel angry or not. But in the end, he grinned as Ohno looked very cute right now. 

The door opened, and Nino looked up when he heard someone approach. 

“Oh God, you are kidding me,” Jun groaned as he looked at them both. 

“What? No, really what?” Nino asked with a frown.

“You’re ridiculous,” Jun said as he fell on his bed. “Completely ridiculous.”

—

“Kazu, why would you need a permit from me?”

“I want to spend Christmas with Oh-chan. Since you aren’t home, we thought of spending time together…” Nino said as he traced patterns on his blanket. 

“With Oh-chan, yes?” she asked with a chuckle in her voice, and Nino tried not to groan out loud as he realised that his mother was about to make fun of him. 

“Yes, with Oh-chan, Ohno Satoshi. My boyfriend, you remember?”

“Ah, yes, that boy with the round face? The one that is always looking as if he is sleeping with his eyes open. What about him?”

“He wants to take me out on Christmas, overnight. Maybe even two nights for the whole weekend or even a week. But that’s not possible without a permit from you.”

“So, you want that from me now?”

“Please, mum,” Nino whined. “You said you wouldn’t be there over Christmas. Otherwise, I would come home. But almost everybody goes home over the holidays, my friends all are gone, and Oh-chan already planned the whole thing.”

His mother chuckled softly. “Make sure to tell Ohno-kuns mother where you two are staying and how we can get into contact with you. And I would appreciate it if you called daily.”

“Mum, I’m not a little child!”

“Promise me, or I won’t sign the permit.”

“Okay, I promise,” Nino said in the end with a small pout in his voice. 

“Good boy. Love you, darling.”

“Love you too, mum,” he said as he ended the call. He hopped from his bed to run over to Ohno and tell him the good news. 

Ohno smiled as his arms wandered around him to hold him close. 

“Good.”

“She said to call her daily.”

“Don’t worry, I had planned that already,” Ohno said with a grin as he pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Did you do your homework?”

“Yes, it was easy. Where will we go?”

“It’s a secret, so I won’t tell you.”

“Bully,” Nino said with a grimace. 

Ohno grinned as he pulled a grimace himself, changing them sometimes until the other started laughing loudly. 

“Do I want to know what is going on?” Sho asked as he entered his dorm room, staring at Ohno’s strange grimaces.

“Nothing,” Ohno said, looking at him innocently while Nino still giggled. 

“Sometimes, I think the others are right, and we should just move rooms so that you are together all the time.”

“But Sho-kun, that’s against the rules,” Nino reminded him with a smirk. 

“Yeah, but less trauma for us.”

“Aww, come on it’s not as if you don’t love us.”

“I really don’t,” Sho said with a deadpan voice. “Anyway, I’m here to tell you the assembly starts in ten, and we are all to go downstairs.”

“Got it, thanks, Sho-kun. We are coming now.”

Sho nodded as he turned around to lead the way. Ohno looked at Nino, who was still grinning with mirth at Sho’s back before he got up. “Ready?”

Nino nodded as he jumped up to his feet against, leaving the room with Ohno, chattering about their upcoming holiday and about how excited he was. 

—

Nino handed his permit over to their principal, who read it with a frown on his face. Somehow Nino was scared that he would be denied to be let out, but soon enough, the older man was smiling down at them and handed it back. 

“You will need it if you want to go somewhere, so have it on you all the time, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good, good. Then have fun and be on time when you come back. I’ll be waiting for you to report your arrival to me personally.”

“Yes, sir. I will make sure that Nino is here on schedule,” Ohno said with a smile as he squeezed Kazu’s hand, who frowned slightly. He was no child. Not even a year longer, and he was seen as an adult in the wizard community. Still, he nodded in agreement and let Ohno lead him outside. 

Ohno watched Nino as they entered the carriage that was about to take them to their destination. He still hadn’t told Nino where they would go, and there was an excited grin on his face as they took their seats.

“I should warn you. Those rides can be very uncomfortable,” Ohno said with a frown. “We can apparate back probably. But since you don’t know the place, I’ll take you to, it’s not possible for getting there.”

“I will be fine,” Nino shrugged as he looked out of the window. He snuggled close to Ohno before moaning slightly when the carriage made its first jump, and he felt his stomach make a sudden turn. Maybe this wasn’t so easy as he thought. He whimpered slightly when Ohno’s arm closed around him to hold him close and rubbed his back. 

Ohno frowned when they finally reached their stop. It hadn’t been too long, thanks to magical transportation, but Nino’s face was an awful mix of green and white, and he was glad when he could help Nino outside. There he put him on a bench close to their stop and sat beside him again, rubbing his neck and hugging him close.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m not going to throw up on you,” Nino promised, smiling weakly at Ohno’s grimace at that thought.

“Let me bring you to our residence,” he offered in the end. 

“Yes, please. I think I need to lie down.”

Ohno frowned as the start of their holiday wasn’t quite how he had hoped, and wished it wasn’t a sign for the rest of their time here. 

Ohno brought him to a small house directly to its bedroom, where he helped Nino to lie down. The younger boy closed his eyes with a grown, his hand tightly around Ohno’s arm as he fell to sleep. Ohno smiled softly as his fingers stroke the tender skin under Nino’s eyes before pressed a kiss to the spot and untangled himself to unpack their things and prepare something to eat for both of them for when Nino woke up. 

—

Nino drew his legs closer to his body. His fingers run over the soft fluffy rug on the floor, and the sofa behind them was sturdy and comfortable. 

Ohno was sitting beside him, his wand in hand, which he had used to start the fire in the fireplace. It was crackling away merrily, but Nino’s eyes were on the big window front. 

Nino had always liked watching the stars, they were twinkling merrily and told stories from far away worlds, that Nino would love to visit or at least liked to imagine.

Ohno’s fingers drew lazy patterns on Nino’s hipbone, his eyes on the younger boy whose eyes sparkled just like the stars outside. They mirrored the view outside, but for Ohno, it was much more beautiful to see the snowy night through Nino’s eyes. 

Nino’s head fell on Ohno’s shoulder as he turned his hand to intertwine his fingers with Ohno’s. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes, it’s nice here,” Nino said with a small smile. He moved a little bit so that he was able to sit on Ohno’s lap, who made a low noise as he stretched out his legs to make space for Nino, who smiled sweetly up to him, before staring at their hands thoughtfully. 

Ohno chuckled as he saw the intense frown on Nino’s face as he studied their hands intensely. 

“What’s wrong?”

“Your fingers are beautiful.”

Laughter escaped Ohno before he could stop it, and he tugged his hand lose for a moment to open it and take Nino’s hand in his own. His second hand came around Nino’s body to trace the lines on his palm.

“Your hand is adorable,” he said with a smile. 

Nino snorted slightly but let Ohno turn his hand to put it on top of Ohno’s open palm. 

His free hand came up to tap each fingertip of Ohno’s hand that was clearly bigger than his own. Ohno chuckled at the tickling sensation. 

“Look, cute.”

“Look graceful and slender fingers,” Nino said with a chuckle when Ohno’s lips pressed against his cheek to blow a raspberry against it. 

“Gross,” Nino said with a scrunched up face. 

Ohno giggled as his lips wandered over his cheek to end up on Nino’s lips to lead him into a deep kiss. 

Nino closed his fingers around Ohno’s again as he parted his lips with a soft sigh, allowing Ohno’s tongue entry. Ohno tightened his arms around him as their tongues danced together. 

—

Laughter rang through the air as Nino followed Ohno outside. It was cold, but Ohno was unrelenting as he pulled him out of the big glass doors to the garden that belonged to the small house they stayed in. Nino supposed it was for warmer times, not for evenings when the snow fell to the earth. 

He wanted to complain that it was cold but he couldn’t. Ohno had made sure to put a heating spell on them both before he had opened the door. 

Ohno moved his wand in a circular motion in the air, and soon Nino recognised one of his songs for class softly playing in the air. He smiled when Ohno put the wand away again, tugging him close to his body once more. 

“Let’s dance,” Ohno whispered against his ear. 

A shudder went over Nino’s back as the warm breath hit his neck. 

“You’re so silly.”

“Maybe. But I would love to dance with my boyfriend.”

“Outside?”

“Yes, the snow is beautiful. Even if it pales to your beauty.”

Nino’s cheeks went hot at those words, and he was sure that Ohno could feel it against his lips as they were pressed against his cheeks.

He didn’t fight the other as Ohno led him further into the garden and on the snow to lead him into a dance to his song. Nino never told him, but he had composed it with Ohno in mind, so this felt very special for him.

They danced for a while - Nino couldn’t say for how long - until Ohno led him inside again. Nino blinked in surprise as he was led into their bedroom it was filled with fairy lights, and the usually wooden ceiling was made from glass that allowed them to look at the stars and falling snow which seemed to never end up on their roof.

“When did you do this?” Nino asked in awe. 

Ohno smiled a bit sheepishly as he caressed Nino’s cheeks with his fingertips. “Before I dragged you out. I don’t know how long it will stay like this, though.”

“It’s beautiful,” Nino breathed as he tugged Ohno’s face closer to kiss his lips lovingly as they fell on the bed. Ohno, on top of Nino. 

—

Nino’s fingers wandered over Ohno’s back very slowly, he felt Ohno’s warmth through the thin shirt he was wearing tonight, and it made his fingers tingle slightly. A shiver ran over his back, and the fine hairs on his arms stood somewhat up. Nino’s hand slipped under the shirt as he reached the waistband of Ohno’s jeans, sighing as he felt the softness of his warm skin. 

Ohno’s lips curved to a small smile on his own before he rolled down from Nino’s body. A whimper left Nino’s lips as the comfortable, warm weight on top of his own was suddenly gone. He was strangely cold now without the other body on top of him. 

Ohno’s lips caressed his own, licking at his lower lip before catching it between his teeth. Nino’s lips tingled under the slight painful nip, but before he could concentrate on it, Ohno’s mouth was gone again. He pressed kisses along his jawline until he reached his earlobe to take it in between his teeth. 

Nino moaned slightly at the feeling and pressed his face closer to the other. He turned to the side to be closer to him. He pressed up closer to Ohno, feeling the heat over his whole body with a happy content smile. 

Ohno chuckled against his collarbone as he pressed small kisses against the soft skin there. His tongue darted forward, licking at the slightly salty skin there. 

“Oh-chan,” Nino whined as he tried to get closer again before he moved back when he felt his body reacting to the kisses of the other. 

His skin felt hot when Ohno’s fingers slipped under his shirt. His fingers tapped along his spine, leaving a trail of fire behind. One hand was around his hips, pulling him closer again. Nino whimpered because, like this, his middle was pressing right against Ohno’s, and he knew Ohno could feel his hardness. 

His cheeks heated up as he pressed his face against his shoulder.

“Don’t be shy,” Ohno whispered as his fingers wandered over his back, pushing his shirt up along the way. His hands wandered down the side of Nino’s body, to trace the faint muscles on Nino’s stomach, wandering up again to tease Nino’s nipples.

Nino breathed out sharply as he felt them tingling under Ohno’s touch, sensing how they hardened slightly under Ohno’s touch and how sensitive they were with each passing caress. “I…”

“You’re aroused,” Ohno whispered as he ducked down to press his lips against Nino for an open-mouthed kiss for a moment, before putting his forehead against Nino’s who looked at him with big, slightly fearful eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Nino squeaked. Ohno chuckled as he put a kiss onto his nose. 

“Don’t be. I’m happy you feel that way with me,” Ohno whispered. “May I?” Ohno tugged softly at the shirt to indicate that he wanted to pull it off of him. Nino faltered for a moment before he nodded and sat up slightly. 

Ohno smiled happily as he kissed him again softly, lovingly as he pulled off Nino’s shirt. He giggled as he saw how disheveled Nino’s hair had gotten. He ruffled the soft locks of Nino’s hair, kissing him again, before moving back and taking off his shirt. “Fair is fair,” he explained at Nino’s curious face. 

Nino’s breath hitched as he looked at the muscled upper body of the other man. His fingers reached out to touch the skin before him as he looked up at Ohno questioningly. Ohno nodded but then took Nino’s hand in his own to put a kiss on each finger and the palm of his hand before putting it on his chest. Nino grinned softly as his fingers traced the lines of Ohno’s body. He watched his fingers move over the warm skin, before moving forward to follow the path with his lips. 

Ohno shuddered under his touches, his breath coming out in short puffs, and for a moment, Nino was delighted that it was because of him. That he made Ohno have these reactions and make these noises. His fingers met the waistband of Ohno’s jeans, and he played with it for a moment before his hand fell away, looking up.

Ohno tugged him close again before falling on the bed once more. He caressed his cheek as they lay face to face. Ohno’s other arm laid under his hips, pulling him close to his own body. Nino shivered as he felt Ohno’s growing hardness against his own, his ears going warm at the feeling.

He humped against the other with a gasp before hiding his face against or trying at least, but Ohno’s hand was still on his cheek, forcing him to look up because of that. 

Ohno kissed him again on the lips, coaxing his lips to open and deepening their kiss slowly. Nino sighed in the kiss, feeling the knots in his stomach to loosen up finally as he took a deep breath through his nose. 

“Don’t be nervous.”

“I don’t want to have sex yet,” Nino confessed with a small voice. He still wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. Having sex sounded scary. “I’m scared that it will hurt.”

Ohno smiled as he pressed warm kisses along his cheek before pressing their foreheads together again. His hand was still around his hips, while his other hand caressed his back in slow, gentle strokes. The effect wasn’t really as it usually was since Ohno’s hips still met his, making his arousal grow more instead of getting less. 

“YOu don’t have to be bottom,” Ohno said with a small smile. 

Nino blinked as he looked up, thinking those words over before his nose scrunched up. Him being on top felt even wronger. 

Ohno bit his lip as not to start laughing at his displeased face, and he pressed his lips against Nino’s again. His boyfriend was so adorable!

“I don’t think that I will like that very much.”

“Kazu,” Ohno whispered, stroking his arms where goosebumps had begun to rise at the use of the name. “Sex doesn’t have to mean sticking it in all the time. We can have fun in other ways. Let me show you?”

“You have an exceptional way of saying things,” Nino said sarcastically. Ohno smirked slightly as those words had at least brought some sanity back to Nino. Then in a much smaller voice, Nino asked: “It won’t hurt?”

Ohno shook his head as he pecked the mole on his chin. “Never, I promise. I would never hurt you.”

“Okay, I trust you,” Nino whispered as he pulled him closer around the neck to kiss him again. 

Ohno hummed softly against their connected lips as his fingers wandered over his hips to the front, opening the button on top of his trousers. Nino’s breath hitched when Ohno pushed his pants and shorts down to let his fingers meet with his hot flesh. 

Nino felt almost nauseous as he pressed against the warm hand on his cock, groaning into their kiss as Ohno’s long fingers closed around the shaft, moving them up and down in long strokes. Nino had touched himself a few times, but it had never felt quite like this. His fingers closed around Ohno’s shoulders, almost pinching at the skin, as Ohno nibbled on his lower lip, allowing him to take needed breaths through his open mouth. Ohno moved them so that he was on top of NIno again, carefully balancing on his knees as to not crush Nino with his weight.

“Are you okay?” Ohno asked after a few more strokes before he let go of Nino to open his jeans and pushing them down slightly. 

“Yes, please… Don’t stop,” Nino begged as he tried to pull him closer a bit uncoordinated. 

“Careful,” Ohno groaned as he almost toppled over, using an arm to stabilise himself. Nino blinked up to him. Arousal was evident in his eyes, and Ohno thought that Nino had never looked more beautiful than now, and he was so happy that he would be the only one to see him like this ever. 

Ohno pressed his hips down again, enjoying the whimpers and moans falling from Nino’s lips as he moved his face closer to him. His lips caressed Nino’s cheeks, his tongue catching a few stray tears on them as he moved his hips in circular motions. As he felt himself getting harder and heat coiling in his stomach, he pressed his face against Nino’s collarbone, breathing harshly as his hand moved down to grab both of their dicks, pumping them, until warm wetness covered his fingers, the feeling bringing himself over the edge as well. 

For a moment, he laid on top of Nino, just breathing until he carefully moved upwards to kiss him. 

“That was…” Nino started, moaning slightly when Ohno moved on top of him to roll to his side. 

“…mind-blowing,” Ohno finished for him, giggling when Nino hit him weakly on the chest.

Ohno smiled as his fingers played with Nino’s soft strand of hair. He observed him as NIno grew more tired with each stroke, finally succumbing to the sudden sleepiness. Ohno kissed his temple before groaning as he remembered the stickiness between them, and he sat up to look for his wand. He preferred showers or baths to a cleaning spell, but there was no way he would force Nino awake again. He murmured the spell as he moved his wand carefully, to make sure not to hurt Nino as he cleaned him and changed his closes to his pajama set before doing the same for himself as there was also no way that he would leave Nino alone for even a second now.

—

“How was your holiday?” Jun asked as they met at lunch two days later. 

Nino was grinning brightly at the memory of their holiday and brimmed with excitement on his seat. “It was great. We visited the town a few times and just spent much time together,” he said happily. “I love the house. It’s small and a bit oldish, yeah, but it is lovely. I want to go there on holiday again, if possible,” he said happily. 

“Really? How expensive is the holiday house, Ohno?” Jun asked curiously, and the older shrugged a bit. 

“It was affordable,” he mumbled as he turned around when Sho nudged him. 

“Only going to the town? And spending time together? Nino, you do this all the time here! Was that all you did?”

“We shared a bedroom,” Nino said, his ears going red as he remembered their last day and night after that dance in the snow. 

Aiba grinned as he moved closer. “Is that all?” he asked in a teasing voice. 

Nino went even redder as he threw a napkin at him. “YES!” he looked pointedly to his plate, not saying anything else regardless of how much the others teased.

“Did you tell him that it’s the house of your great-grandfather?” Sho asked with a frown. 

Ohno shook his head as he watched the younger three, a small smirk on his lips as he saw how Jun and Aiba teased his young lover. “No, why should I?”

“Because he offered it to you to live in?” Sho asked, disbelief clear in his voice. 

Ohno shrugged again. It was true that he was offered the house to make it a home with Nino when his great-grandfather had heard about their relationship. The old man loved Nino probably more than he did Ohno, so it was no real surprise. “I don’t want him to limit his future choices to the town. He won’t be mad if we don’t move in,” Ohno said softly. It would probably be a disappointment to him since the man loved the home where he had lived with his first and only love. But Ohno was sure that he would understand.

“I’m sure he would like to take it into consideration,” Sho argued, rolling his eyes when Ohno shrugged slightly. He didn’t mind.

A/N: So much for this chapter will be shorter than the last… Over 6000 words. I hope it was worth the read, at least. Any ideas what Ohno and Nino could do in the future? I want them to do something that fits their real hobbies and abilities and what they love to do…


	11. Feels Like The First Time

“Let’s congratulate our graduating students,” the director said as he lifted his wand. 

Nino’s eyes were on Ohno, who stood with Sho in line beside the director. He had tuned out for most of the speech of the director, which was mostly the same every year after all, and he was sure that Ohno had done the same, while Sho was immersed in the speech. 

They all applauded and cheered for their friends. Nino giggled as he moved his wand in a half-circle with the rest of the students, and sparkles appeared in the sky as the graduates left the podium to get to their friends. 

Nino put the wand away when Sho and Ohno reached them before giggling as he ran to Ohno, who opened his arms quickly to hug him around the waist and lifted him up. 

“Congratulations, Oh-chan,” Nino giggled as Ohno moved them in a circle. Nino hugged him around the neck. 

“Thank you, darling,” Ohno said in a teasing voice. 

Nino stuck out his tongue before moving downwards to place a kiss on Ohno’s lips. Ohno smiled as he hugged him close and put him down on the floor again as he deepened their kiss. They only separated when Nino needed to breathe, and Ohno pecked his lips again a few times before turning him around. He kept his arms around his hips, putting his chin on his shoulder. 

“Congratulations, son,” Ohno’s father said as he hugged them for a second.

Nino giggled when Ohno’s mother came over, hugging them both now and pressing a soft kiss to both of their temples. “We are so proud of you,” she said to Ohno, who grinned. 

“You won’t be once I’m back home,” he teased.

Nino giggled when Ohno’s mother groaned playfully before looking at their friends as they congratulated Ohno as well. Nino kissed his cheek as he was steered to the buffet with delicious-looking food laid out. 

Ohno watched his parents, who luckily talked with the other parents they were friends with before his eyes wandered over to their friends who were playing around before he looked back at his boyfriend in his arms.

Nino sighed softly as he sat on Ohno’s lap, his head against his shoulders and playing with the fingers that were around his hip. 

“Try this,” Ohno said as he held out some fried noodles for him. 

“I’m full,” Nino groaned but opened his lips to let the other feed him. He hummed a little before licking his lips, giggling when Ohno kissed the side of his mouth. 

“What do you think?”

“I liked the broccoli more,” he said after a moment. Ohno chuckled as Ohno kissed the hollow of his neck. 

“Are you going to miss me?” Ohno asked after a while. 

Nino frowned at the question and tugged at the middle finger and thumb of Ohno. “No,” he said sullenly. 

“You won’t cry?”

Nino shook his head as he hid his face against his shoulder. “Of course not. I can write to you and still call you daily, right?”

“Of course, and I will visit on the weekends, or you can come over to my parent’s house.”

“You sure I won’t be in the way?” Nino asked, looking up. 

“Very sure. My parents love you,” he said as he kissed the top of his nose. 

Nino nodded as he put an arm around his shoulders. “I’m good then,” he said, looking up at Ohno, who was frowning slightly. 

Nino giggled as he pinched his nose. “I’m a big boy now, Oh-chan. Not the scared little boy I was ten years ago. I have the other’s as well. So don’t worry about me. Do you know what you will do at home? You haven’t told me what you will do for work.”

“I don’t know yet,” Ohno said with a shrug. “I will look for a job, I suppose, and helping my parents.”

“What kind of jobs?”

Ohno shrugged again. “There is a bakery close to my home. I think I would love to learn that.”

“You like bread,” Nino agreed with a grin. 

“I do. I almost like you as much as I like bread,” Ohno said with a smirk, yelling out when a sharp elbow connected with his stomach. 

“I will make you melon pan.”

“I should let you know that I am very exquisite in my taste,” Nino said with a giggle. 

Ohno rolled his eyes as he kissed him, stopping the laughter short. 

“You’re awful,” he said, tickling his boyfriend until he was gasping for breath. 

“It’s time for us to go,” Ohno’s mother interrupted them. 

Ohno tightened his grip around Nino’s wast so that he wouldn’t fall with a small sigh. “Let me say goodbye to the rest.”

“Of course, you too, honey.”

“Yes, Ohno-san,” Nino said as he hopped off Ohno and followed him to their friends, hugging them and wishing them a good spring break. 

“Be good,” Sho said as he ruffled his hair. Nino grimaced at the words. 

“You’re not my mother,” he said, pouting when Sho giggled before looking gravely at Ohno, who just nodded before taking Nino’s hand in his own. 

“Ready?”

“Yup,” Nino said happily, squeezing his hand in his own. “To your parent’s home?”

Ohno nodded and watched as Nino closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment before doing the same. 

“Apparate omnes,” they whispered in unison, and soon after, they reappeared in the Ohno’s living room.

— 

“Stop pouting,” Jun said with a groan as he sat down beside Nino on the bed. They had looked all over for the other boy, and he had finally found him. Even if he was sure that Toma had checked their dorm room for three times already. 

“I’m not pouting.”

“You are,” Jun said as he flipped his forehead. 

“Not true.” Nino’s lower lip stuck out while he crossed the arms in front of his chest and pressing himself more deeply into the cushions. 

“How long have you been hiding here?”

“I’m not hiding. I just didn’t feel like being out, so I went here right after classes ended,” he said. 

“And why didn’t Toma see you then?”

Nino looked a bit sheepish at the question and stared at his fingers on the blanket. “I might have put a hiding spell on me,” he mumbled, caressing the head of Button, who finally came closer. 

Jun sighed as he put his arm around Nino and pulled him closer to his body to hug him tight. He rubbed his neck with his fingertips. 

“Why are you upset?”

“I’m not,” Nino began but shut up at Jun’s look. He rubbed his face as he snuggled into the embrace of the younger boy who rolled his eyes at his antics.

“Cry baby,” Jun teased as tears hit his robe. 

“Am not,” Nino sniffled as he pressed himself closer to the other. He knew he was stupid and silly.

He had known that Ohno wouldn’t come back with him to the school. They had talked about it during the spring break, and he had been okay with it. He had been so sure that he was okay with it.

But when he had left class and hadn’t been able to meet up with Ohno by lunchtime, he had realised that he wouldn’t be able to complain or whine at Ohno any given moment and it had come crashing down that they were not in school together anymore. 

Nino hadn’t even realised that he had turned on his heel and run up the stairs to their dorm room until his head hit the pillow. 

“Sure you are not,” Jun said sarcastically as he rubbed circles on his lower back. 

Nino sniffed as he rubbed his wet eyes. 

Jun looked down at the boy in his arms, not really knowing what he should do right now to make him feel better. They all had feared that this might happen but, at the same time, hoping that it wouldn’t. 

Jun smiled as NIno finally moved back and rubbed his cheeks dry. 

“I’m pathetic,” Nino moaned as he looked up at Jun as the other held his face in his hands. 

“Only a tiny bit,” he allowed with a smirk. 

Nino pouted, which got more pronounced when Jun squished his face with a small laugh. 

“Now come on, let’s go down for dinner. Your beloved Satoshi will have my head if he knows you missed half of the first day and two meals.”

Nino giggled as he picked up Button from his bed and put it on his shoulder. “He wouldn’t know.”

“Oh, but he would. Because I promised him to tell him if you behave,” Jun teased as he tweaked his nose. 

“You are awful,” Nino said with a frown. 

“Not as much as you. So move your butt, or I kick you out.”

Nino nodded as he rubbed his eyes again. He finally followed Jun out of the dorm. Jun sighed but was happy that he got Nino out. 

“There you are,” Aiba said happily when they came to their room. 

Nino sat down with a small sigh. “I’m sorry for behaving like a spoilt child.”

“You are a spoilt child,” Toma said as he stuffed a rice ball into his mouth. 

Nino glared at the other but couldn’t really argue that. He was kind of spoilt, he supposed. His mother and sister spoilt him since he was the youngest in the family, and Ohno spoiled him even more than them. 

Jun snorted slightly as he saw the defiance on Nino’s face and the apparent defeat shortly after. He ordered food for them silently and held out the freshly baked bread in front of Nino’s mouth. 

“Eat.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Nino said with a small groan as Jun used the second he opened his mouth for an answer. 

Jun grinned at him as he munched on the bread he had ordered for him and drank the soup as well. 

“So what did you do during spring break? Spend it at Ohno’s family home?” Toma asked as Nino had finished his meal, and Jun put a mug of tea in front of him. 

“Not really. My mom and sister came the night after graduation ceremony to their house, and we had a nice dinner. Then Ohno took me away to the holiday home we were during the winter holidays,” Nino explained. 

“Why are you frowning so much?”

Nino groaned as he hid his face. “Did any of you know that it was his family’s home? The one where his grandfather lived with his family when they were young. His grandfather gave it to him as a graduation gift!”

“Yeah, Ohno mentioned something like that,” Aiba nodded. “Or Sho did? I can’t remember. Sho and Ohno’s families are close after all.”

Nino groaned as Button nibbled on his earlobe. 

“Why are you upset about it? You loved that house.”

“I do,” Nino sighed softly. He smiled as he remembered sitting on the wooden veranda, looking out into the garden, and having the cherry blossoms fall down on him and Ohno.

“But?”

“I’m just nervous, I suppose.”

“Yeah, because you are silly,” Jun said with a sigh. “And if you were a girl, I would be worried about your emotional state. You are either depressed or high up,” Jun said with a worried tone. 

Nino rolled his eyes as he emptied his cup. “I’m fine,” he promised. 

Jun looked him over but nodded finally. Nino frowned as he stared at his hands around his cup before standing up with a small smile. 

“We have a practise game.”

“Have fun,” Aiba cheered while Toma coughed slightly. 

“Was that today?”

“Yup,” Nino said with a grin. “You forgot?”

Toma went a bit ashen as he drowned the last of his tea and jumped to his feet. “I’m coming!”

“Better not,” Aiba said with a giggle, yelling out when Jun kicked him against his shin. 

“Have fun. I have homework.”

“Already on the first day?” Nino asked, a bit shocked. 

“Yes, now shush,” Jun waving him away. 

Nino followed Toma out to meet up with their team for the practice while Jun looked after them with a frown on his face until Aiba nudged him softly. 

“You are a worrier,” Aiba said with a smile. 

“Sorry,” Jun said with a small sigh. 

Aiba shook his head with a smirk. “No, it’s cute. Gonna do your homework?”

Jun frowned before he nodded. “I should go to the library.”

“I’ll go with you,” Aiba said as he got up. 

“Do you have homework?” Jun asked with surprise. 

“I have as much homework as you do,” Aiba said with a smirk at Jun’s red ear tips before he pushed him out of the mensa by his shoulders.

—

Nino turned in his bed with a little sigh as he finally ended up on his back, staring at the ceiling. He stared into the darkness before sighing again. 

Whenever he couldn’t sleep, Ohno would either hug him or put star constellations on the ceiling for them. He put his arm across his eyes before groaning when he realised that he saw Ohno in front of his eyes again. 

“What is up?” Toma asked with a sigh when Nino grumbled again. 

“Sorry, did I wake you up?” Nino asked a whisper. 

“We couldn’t fall asleep under your moaning and grumbling,” Jun snorted. Nino turned his head to the other side when a small glow appeared from Jun’s side. 

Soon after, a light appeared on the ceiling. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Toma asked as he sat up. A stuffed penguin in his arms. Nino smiled at the stuffed toy that the other had gotten from his girlfriend. 

“I miss Oh-chan.”

“You never shared a bed with him at school,” Jun pointed out. It had been the one thing both had agreed on so that Nino wouldn’t get used to it.

“True, but I can’t help it,” Nino said with a pout. 

“I’m sure Ohno misses you too,” Toma said with a sigh.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Nino murmured.

“What are you talking about?” Jun asked as he looked with a frown to the other boy. 

Nino shook his head as he fell down onto the bed again and pulled the blanket over his head. “Forget it,” he said instead, moving his wand and pulling a shield up around himself. 

Jun and Toma exchanged a confused look, but they realised soon that Nino wouldn’t talk more about it tonight. Jun put off the light, and they tried to sleep. 

—

“What did sensei want?” Jun asked as Nino met the rest for lunch. Nino sat down at the table with a small shrug. 

“She told me that I need to be more careful.”

“More careful, why?” Aiba asked with a small frown on his face. 

“Nino almost burned down the classroom,” Toma said with a grin. “He wasn’t concentrating.”

“I promised her I would try my best, and that it wouldn’t happen again,” Nino said as he put a piece of meat into his mouth. He frowned at the taste but nibbled on it under the careful look of Jun. 

“Nino…” JUn began, but the boy looked up with a small glare. 

“Don’t, just don’t,” Nino said as he put down his chopsticks and stood before leaving the dining room. He didn’t want to talk with Jun about what was bothering him. It was stupid, he knew, and he knew that it was his fault for what he had mentioned a few days ago to his roommates, but he didn’t want to explain himself.

Jun groaned as he rubbed his face. “That’s it. I’m writing Ohno,” he decided with a grumble. He had promised the others not to tell the oldest one even if he promised Ohno to look after Nino, but he wouldn’t watch how Nino behaved so awful and now also jeopardise his marks.

—

Nino sat on his bed in the dorm room, trying to read. But he had probably already read the first sentence for the tenth time, and it didn’t sink into his head. He sighed as he moved to lie on his bed and put the book on his face. He had tried to play a game he had gotten from his mother, but he had lost more than he wanted to count and had tried studying in turn. 

It was the weekend, and the rest had gone out. Nino had told them that Ohno was visiting so that they wouldn’t force him to accompany them, while he had told Ohno that he had planned a special day in the village with his friends from school so that the older wouldn’t come. Not that he thought that Ohno had the time to really visit because of his work at the bakery. A dark look appeared on his face as he remembered the pretty girl that was teaching his boyfriend. She was a bit older than Ohno and smiled really prettily. Nino was sure that Ohno would like her better than him soon if not already. 

He groaned as he pulled the blanket over his head, trying to block out the light and his thoughts. He hated himself for this all. Logically he knew that Ohno loved him. At least the older told him so whenever they talked but at the same time…

He went silent when the door to their dorm opened. He was confused as he was sure that Jun and Toma had already long gone. He thought about putting up a charm so that he wouldn’t be seen and questioned when the blanket was pulled out of his grip. He sat up with a glare on his face that changed into surprise when he saw Ohno standing in front of his bed with crossed arms and a lifted eyebrow.

“Oh-chan…”

“Surprise,” Ohno said with a dry sounding voice before he sighed and sat down beside Nino on the bed. “Lying to me, really Nino?”

“I’m not lying,” Nino said as he looked to the side. 

“I thought you were out with Jun and the others.”

“There was a change of plan,” Nino tried as his fingers gripped his robes tightly. 

Ohno sighed as he put an arm around Nino, feeling him stiffening under his touch with a small frown. “Nino, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing? So try to explain to me why Jun wrote me a letter the day before yesterday, telling me that you are depressed and have a difficult time concentrating or follow your lessons?”

“I’m just stressed.”

“Nino, please. I worry about you if you are not well.”

“Do you really now? Or are you just upset because you had to come?” Nino said with a frown. 

“Don’t be silly. I love you. Of course, I want to be with you.”

“Do you?” Nino looked up, and Ohno was surprised to see the hurt in his eyes. He carefully cupped the cheek to caress the soft skin, but Nino moved his head to get rid of his touch.

“Yes, Nino, what is going on in your head.”

Nino bit his head but shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it.

“Don’t be so childish. I can’t look into your head.”

Nino’s eyes were ablaze with hurt and anger as he looked up again. “That’s all I am, right? A child. I’m sorry for that just go back to that pretty girl you talk about and how perfect she is,” he said as he jumped to his feet, wanting to run away. But Ohno was faster than he as he followed him and caught him around the middle.

“Stop!” Ohno said as he picked him up and carried him back to the bed. Nino was trying to fight him, but Ohno wouldn’t let him go. With a huff, Ohno sat on the bed, Nino on his lap as he held him tightly. “What girl are you talking about?”

“From the bakery. You were gushing at how perfect everything she did was,” Nino said with a pout. “While you won’t let me do anything!”

Ohno groaned as he remembered the first days at the bakery - which sadly were scheduled for the last days of the spring break. He might have gushed a bit too much, but Kiki’s bread was wonderful, and he wanted to be able to do the same. “She is good at her job, and I want to be good. But that doesn’t mean I like her.”

“But she is older and prettier than me and better, and it would be normal if you…” Nino stopped speaking when Ohno put his hand on his lips.

“Nobody is prettier than you to me, Kazu, and I’m sorry if you thought I might like her, but my heart belongs to you.” He fought a smile when Nino’s cheeks flared up at his words and caressed the soft lips. “But you can’t just jump to conclusions without talking to me. Just because I talk about someone a lot doesn’t mean I want to be with them. I thought you were secure about my feelings for you. You told me so at graduation.”

Nino bit his lips as he stared down at his hands that were clenching and unclenching at Ohno’s shirt. “Still, you think I’m a child.”

“No, you are a beautiful young man,” Ohno disagreed. 

“If you really think so, then why won’t you have sex with me?” Nino asked in a rush feeling the heat burning in his cheeks. He sternly looked down, sure that he wouldn’t be able to meet Ohno’s eyes without fainting.

Ohno’s mouth fell open at the question before he bit his lip as to not chuckle or smile. But Nino was undeniably cute right now. 

“God, Kazu,” He groaned instead, hugging him tightly against himself. Nino made a small noise at the back of his throat when his head connected with Ohno’s shoulder. Ohno’s fingers were dancing on his back, drawing small figures on his back as he burrowed his face against his hair. 

“You are stupid if you really think I wouldn’t want to.”

“But you never tried,” Nino mumbled, his arms slowly coming around him as if he couldn’t help himself. 

“Of course not.”

“Because you think I’m a child.”

“No, Kazu, no. Because I’m not sure, I would be able to let you go. And I’m scared to force you to something you are not ready for. At Christmas, you were a bit scared.”

“Was not,” Nino denied. 

Ohno chuckled as he kissed the top of his head. “No lying to me, Kazu.”

“Sorry I was nervous. Sensei said it hurts, and I don’t like pain,” Nino mumbled after a few minutes. “But… I can understand if you want. You are older, after all.”

“Yes, and that’s why I never would want to do something you are not ready for,” Ohno said as he moved back just slightly to force Nino’s head upwards and look into his eyes. He placed a soft kiss on his lips as he smiled down at him. 

“My beloved but sometimes idiotic Kazu. I want to stay with you forever. If that means I need to wait, I will. And as I told you then: There are so many ways to have fun together that don’t need intercourse, and I’d like to experience it all with you together.”

Nino pressed his face against his neck, holding him tight. “It sucks that you are away, Oh-chan,” he whispered finally. “I miss you so much when you are not here.” Ohno sighed but kissed the top of his head. 

“Maybe you like the presents I brought then.” He smiled when he was met with curious eyes and traced the dark circles under Nino’s eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you some before you left for school again.”

Nino bit his lips as Ohno placed him back onto the bed to get to the bag Nino hadn’t seen first. He smiled as he pulled out a stuffed koala toy and an oversized shirt. The koala was half as big as Nino was, and he hugged it close to himself. “Smells like you,” Nino mumbled as he rubbed his nose in the soft fur. 

Ohno smiled as he patted his head. “Yes, and since you can be clingy like a koala, I thought it would be a good present. I hope you can sleep with those things. And that you will tell me if you have a hard time. I don’t like it if you feel bad, and I like it even less if Jun needs to tell me because you are too proud to do so,” he chided softly. 

“I’m not too proud,” Nino mumbled but bit his lips. He had just thought that Ohno wouldn’t care, but he thought it probably was better if he didn’t mention that. He got comfortable on the bed, looking at Ohno, whose eyes looked so unbelievingly fond, that his heartbeat accelerated inside his chest. 

Ohno didn’t answer that but climbed into bed behind Nino to hug him close. “Try to take a nap,” Ohno advised. 

“I don’t want to sleep if you came to visit.”

“But you need sleep, and I will be here until dinner. An hour or two would be fine, then we can do something else.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. Sleep now.” Ohno pressed a kiss to his neck, smiling when Nino yawned slightly as he hugged the koala bear closer. Ohno’s fingers wandered in soft strokes over Nino’s side until the other fell finally to sleep. He sighed as he observed Nino’s robes whose colours had gotten duller. Nino had been so proud to be on top of each class, and it hurt to see that his grades had already suffered. He kissed his cheek again as he pulled Nino closer. He wanted Nino to be able to graduate with the golden robes of the best in school because he deserved it more than anyone Ohno could think of.

A/N: In Mahoutokoro, it’s said that the best students have golden robes. In my mind, they are all excellent students, but they all have decided to master different classes or choices? So Ohno is more adapt in creative outlets, so his robes were a shimmering blue, Sho was more interested in scholar type things like and has red, Aiba has magical creatures of all kinds, Jun is more interested in Alchemy and Potions, and Nino is adapt in any classes he has because he studies so much, but he has a natural affinity in anything to do with Charms. I really hope this is okay.


	12. Roses

Nino giggled as he came back from the bathroom. A big smile was on his face as he saw the note on top of his desk. He didn’t know which spell Ohno used precisely to make it possible to bring things into his room, but he would never even dream of telling Ohno off. He put his hands on top of the desk and leant forward so that he was directly above the note. 

The cards were made from cardboard and not bigger than a credit card but on each one was a small sketch and Nino loved looking at them in the early mornings. He would first stare at them from a distance as he was doing now to get the whole picture before picking the note up and scrutinising it from a closer distance. 

Today it was a stick figure playing the guitar. The hole of the guitar was a dark heart, and the notes coming from there weren’t oval like normal but also small hearts. He grinned as he put it into the small pocket of his robe just as the door to the bathroom opened again. 

“So, what was it today?” Toma asked curiously. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Nino said with a giggle to his voice as his hand wandered into the pocket tracing the cardboard paper with his fingertips. He would show his friends later, probably. But for now, his heartfelt full of love for Ohno and happiness that Ohno took the time to draw something small for him each day. Nino was sure his days were busy and filled with work. 

“God it’s too early for you to look like that,” Jun grumbled as he finally re-entered their dorm room as well. 

Nino scrunched up his nose at the words and stuck out his tongue. “Looking like that? I look normal,” Nino said with a pout. At least he was sure that there was nothing amiss in his appearance or that there was dirt on his robes.

“Like a lovestruck puppy,” Jun deadpanned as he put his arm around him. “It’s horrible.”

“Liar,” Toma sang. “You are just grumpy because you hadn’t had coffee yet and because you haven’t seen Aiba yet.”

Nino’s brows drew together as he looked at his friend whose ears turned a little bit red. “You and Aiba-chan?! No way!”

“Yes way,” Toma said while laughing. “God, Nino. How could you miss that? They got closer at the end of last year. Of course, you were moping about missing Oh-chan, so I suppose it’s normal.”

“We are not together,” Jun said, his eyes still red as he tried to get away from his friends. But now Nino had put his arm around Jun’s waist so that he wouldn’t be able to get away and Toma was on his other side, his arm around his shoulder. 

“Come on, Junny. You like him,” Toma said with a sigh. 

“How?” Nino breathed. Still, a bit hung up on how he could have missed it all. God, he had been a horrible friend it seemed. 

“We spent more time together… I study less with Sakurai-san.”

Toma snorted. “I’m surprised it’s less and not not. He isn’t attending this school anymore.”

Jun glared at him. “Shut up. Just because you are only interested in Quidditch doesn’t mean I’m not happy that he still tutors me when he has time for it.”

“Hey! At least I already got sponsorship for after next year,” Toma said as he lifted his hands in innocence. “We can’t all be smart asses like you two are.”

“Studying would help,” Jun teased him with a twinkle in his eyes. 

Toma opened his mouth to retorted before he stopped and blinked. “Hey! Stop riling me up we were talking about you and your love life.”

“Not existing love-life,” Jun said with an eye roll. “We got closer because he wanted to help me to get closer to the animals. Since you know I like them, but they don’t really reciprocate,” he said sarcastically, hitting both boys when they laughed at those words. 

Jun was infamously bad with animals, after all. Nino was sure that Aiba-sensei would have forbidden Jun to attend classes if Jun had decided to take Care of Magical Creatures all those years ago. Even now, Jun was only allowed to the enclosure when Aiba was with him because Aiba, on the other hand, was perfect with any kind of creature. 

“So you and Aiba?”

“I like him okay? But there is no way he would feel the same. He is older, and he would never fall in love with someone who gets attacked by rabbits,” Jun said with a sigh. 

“Oh-chan is older so that argument is stupid. And I don’t think that Aiba-chan would mind,” Nino said with a sigh. Now mad at himself for not paying attention so he couldn’t tell if Aiba was interested in Jun or not. But he vowed to himself that he would start looking now, and of course, make Toma tell him everything when they were alone. (Because he really didn’t want to rile Jun up too much. A Jun that was a bit mad at them could be fun, but if Jun was furious or hurt, he could be terrifying.)

“Just stop it,” Jun pleaded almost as they entered the great hall for breakfast. Nino waved at Aiba who was just coming in from another door and pointed to their usual table that was still free, luckily. 

“I promise not to embarrass you in front of your crush,” Nino said solemnly. Toma grinned beside them, winking at Nino. 

“At least not too much.”

—

“What are you doing here?” Aiba’s amused voice broke Nino from his concentration, and he looked up from the sheets he had been writing the lyrics for the new project in class down.

“What?”

“Why are you composing in the middle of a horde of Hippogriffs?”

Nino blushed slightly as he looked around himself and realised that the Hippogriffs were watching him intensely. He coughed as Aiba climbed over the fence and sat down on the floor beside him. He whistled as he brought out some treats for the creatures who were all happily chattering as they came over to Aiba in a somewhat orderly fashion. 

“I’m surprised they don’t overrun you,” Nino said with a giggle as a cold snout was pressed against his fingers in search of more treats. 

“I leave when they do,” Aiba said with a shrug. “They learnt that they won’t get any cuddles or treats if they don’t behave. Then they pout, and the next time they behave better. But they are also cheeky,” he said with a breathy laugh when one Hippogriff pushed Nino on his back his snout wandering under the collar of his robe in search for food, making Nino laugh helplessly. 

Aiba watched him for a moment before he clicked his tongue and said an order that made the Hippogriffs stop and leave them in peace. “But honestly, what were you doing here?”

“Composing, as you have already guessed.”

“But why here?”

“Why not?”

Aiba lifted an eyebrow at the grin on Nino’s face. “I know you can be strange, and sometimes I’m sure your brain is not really here, but you can’t tell me that you got lost in the fields because your mind was on Oh-chan.”

“You are the idiot, not me,” Nino said as he stretched out on the blanket he had brought. “Inside was too loud, and it’s supposed to be a fun song. Something about animals,” he hummed in thought. 

“You have strange works to do,” Aiba said with a laugh in his voice. Nino shrugged again.

“Matsuoka-sensei says it’s good for us to try all kinds of things. We can’t all write love songs or something like that.”

“Do you write love songs?”

“I write songs for Oh-chan,” Nino nodded with a happy smile. “Sometimes he sings them with me or records his singing for me. He has a great voice,” he added dreamily. 

“I see and why animals now?”

“I want to compose something that will calm down animals. So if I write it here and try it out I can see if it works,” Nino explained as he stared into the sky. “It’s also easier to get credit for because you can see directly if it works.”

“Huh? Songs that calm them down?”

“What do you know about wizard music?” Nino asked curiously as he looked into Aiba’s confused face. He had just taken that course this year, and it was super interesting. It also fitted perfectly with the extracurricular classes he had taken about non-wizard music in the year before. 

“Not much… I just know the songs those wizards and witches sing hold power in them.”

“If written and performed correctly, yes. They can manipulate the feelings of the listener as long as the listener is open or meant to be the recipient.”

“Huh? So you can make people fall in love with you because of songs?”

“No, of course not. But it can amplify feelings that are already there,” Nino said as he rolled his eyes and hit Aiba’s hips softly. “It’s not allowed to toil with such emotions. It’s the same with the love potions. It won’t create love. It amplifies love if it’s there, but yes you could probably make people do whatever you want if you wave the song correctly and are powerful enough. But it’s dangerous, and you will be punished harshly by the wizarding community.”

“I see,” Aiba said with a grin. “But then again. You wouldn’t need a song to make Ohno fall in love with you. He just did on his own will. And you never would want another person in your life.”

Nino blushed, but he nodded happily as his fingers pulled out today’s card. It was a penguin with dancing with a heart. The picture this time moved, and Nino smiled as he traced the card with his fingertips. “I only want Oh-chan ever.”

“Would you be able to sing songs for others?”

“Huh? What do you mean? They are meant for other’s to listen to, and they are meant for specific things.”

Aiba tapped his forehead with a small frown. “I don’t mean that. Can you write songs for other’s to sing?”

“Yes? Oh-chan sings my songs,” Nino said slowly. 

“No, I meant, would they make the same feelings grow in others?”

“Probably not as much, honestly. You don’t know how to use your vocal cords to put the magic in your voice. But it might be that the effect might still be there even if it is not as strong. I’ve actually never tried it. I need to ask sensei next time at class,” Nino said happily as he thought of how to find a solution to this question and if it was possible in any way.

Aiba tweaked his nose before lying down next to Nino, watching him. “One more question.”

“Yes?”

“When you write a song for another person. Would you think of that person while doing so? Put in things about that person?”

“Of course.”

“So if you wrote a song for another person to sing for another person could you put in what that person thinks of that other person?”

Nino looked at him with wide eyes. “What?” he asked a bit baffled. Not understanding what Aiba was getting on. 

“Forget it.”

“Aiba-chan are you in love with someone?”

“Maybe,” Aiba said with a sigh. 

“And you want to sing a song for that person?”

“Maybe.”

Nino lifted an eyebrow as he stared at him, waiting for a real answer. 

Aiba groaned. “You are a brat, you know that?”

“You would need to tell me anyway if I agreed to write something for you.”

“Yeah. So if I wanted to sing for Jun, would you write me a song for him with things I think or feel for him. Would that work if it’s not your own feelings?”

Nino shrugged slightly. “I don’t know. I will ask Matsuoka-sensei and let you know.”

Aiba nodded slightly as he blushed and looked down. “Don’t tell Jun-kun?”

“Of course.”

— 

Nino sat at his desk, writing his weekly letter to Ohno when Aiba knocked on the door. 

He was looking around nervously which made Nino chuckle. “I’m alone.”

“Oh, good. Here I wrote this about Jun for the song,” he said as he put it down on the desk and sat down on the free chair, looking at him expectedly. 

“What?”

“Look it over,” Aiba said with a pout.

Nino groaned but took the sheet to look it over. He tried hard not to grimace or anything as he stared at the overly sweet words. He supposed it was kind of cute, but Aiba went way overboard with this. 

“So what do you think?”

“That you are hopeless,” Nino said without thinking. He bit his tongue when he saw the downfallen look on Aiba’s face and sighed. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. But you are hopelessly in love. Jun is one lucky boy. I think I can write something with that, don’t worry.”

Aiba’s face brightened up with that promise, and he jumped up to hug him tightly. “Thank you, Nino. I will leave you on it then.” 

“Will you finish it until Valentine’s day?”

Nino frowned, but then he nodded. “Yes. Exams are afterwards, so I want to have it finished by then.”

“Thank you!” Aiba shrieked and hugged him again, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Urgh! Out now or I will show Jun this,” Nino said as he pushed him out, rubbing his cheek in disgust.

Aiba giggled as he ran out of the room, leaving Nino alone to try to finish the letter before he groaned. If he was going to write this song, he couldn’t do it here, he realised. He carefully put the papers away into a wooden box Ohno had made for him. It was handmade and with different coloured ornaments that sparkled when he held it. When another person tried to open it, it would bite that person’s fingers, and he loved it so much. 

Nino left the room to go to his home-run teacher asking for permission to visit Ohno the weekend. Kokubun agreed readily if Nino promised to behave and do his homework and Nino went back to his room to finally finish his letter to Ohno and telling him that he was visiting their future home on the weekend to write the song. 

— 

“Oh-chan,” Nino said happily as he heard the front door open. He hopped from his place in front of the kotatsu to run to the entryway and then jump into the arms of Ohno. 

Ohno chuckled as he held him with his hands under his butt to lift him up and kiss him on the lips. He swirled him around grinning when Nino laughed out loud. 

“Hey, babe. Sorry I wasn’t home when you arrived.”

“It’s okay. It was kinda sudden. I finished my homework and part of the song. So we can spend the afternoon together?”

“You sure?”

Nino pouted but nodded. “I really finished my work you can check.”

“No, it’s fine. I trust you,” Ohno whispered as he kissed him again, nibbling on his lower lip. Nino smiled against his lips, sighing happily as his arms snaked around his neck. 

A few minutes passed before Ohno moved back and set him down on the floor again. “Are you hungry?”

“A bit,” Nino said. “Sorry I didn’t prepare any lunch. I forgot the time.”

“I brought bread for lunch. But I wouldn’t mind a home-cooked meal for dinner?”

“Sounds good,” Nino agreed as he led Ohno to the living room and snuggled up with him under the kotatsu again. 

“I like your melon pan best.” 

Ohno chuckled as he pressed his lips against Nino’s forehead as the younger boy munched on his bread. He played with his soft locks looking down at him. “How are you doing at school?”

“Good. My robes got more yellow.”

“Is that even possible?” Ohno teased him with amused eyes. Nino giggled but nodded. He was very proud of his achievements. 

“Are you worried about the exams?”

“Not really. It’s not the last exams they come next year. Then I need to decide what I want to do for work.”

“You know that you could continue your studies?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to be a scholar. So it wouldn’t make sense. And mom would hit me if I don’t try to earn my own incomings,” he said with a frown. 

Ohno chuckled as he stroke his side. “Then you should use the long holidays to look around the shops to see what you would like?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Nino agreed slowly. “I like your cards. Thank you for them.”

“Everything for you,” Ohno said with a smile. “Besides I get nice songs out of it.”

Nino giggled as he finished his bread. “I’m writing a song for Aiba.”

“Mhm, how is that coming along?”

“Better than expected. I would play it for you, but it seems unfair since it’s Aiba’s feelings for Jun.”

Ohno hummed in understanding dropping a kiss on top of his head. “Do you need time for that?” 

Nino shook his head. He would finish it tomorrow when Ohno was at work. He kissed him lovingly and rubbed his nose against his cheek. 

“I was allowed to come here, and I want to spend time with my boyfriend.”

“Me too,” Ohno agreed. Nino grinned as he snuggled close again, pulling Ohno down beside him. They faced each other, Nino holding his hand softly as the fingers of his other hand traced Ohno’s face and lips. 

“You are tired. You should take a nap,” Nino whispered as he moved closer to hug him. 

Ohno wanted to disagree, but he was already up since three am and it would be a lie. He kissed Nino’s fingertips and then closed his eyes as he hugged him tighter to his body. 

Nino smiled as he kissed the side of his lips and then softly sang his favourite song for Ohno to fall asleep to. 

— 

“Nino,” Aiba whispered as he tugged at Nino’s robe. 

“What?” 

“I can’t do it. I can’t sing,” Aiba whined as he grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. 

“What? But you wanted to do it today! Aiba after all the work.”

“I know. And I’m sorry. I liked it so much. It’s perfect, but I can’t remember the lyrics. I get nervous and then it’s awful, and he’ll hate me. There wouldn’t be any loving feelings then,” Aiba whined. “Please help me!”

Nino grumbled as he rubbed his face. Today he had a date with Ohno. Ohno had written him a beautiful card with a wizard penguin to ask him to be his Valentine, and he felt happy ever since. 

“Okay, I got an idea,” Nino grumbled. “I need to go meet with Oh-chan now. But I promise I send it to you, okay?”

Aiba looked at him with big eyes, but then he nodded slowly. Nino smiled as he petted his head. 

“But you still meet with Jun today, right?” 

“Yeah… Since he isn’t dating someone, he wanted to try to feed the unicorns again. He really likes them.”

“I can understand that. They are cute,” Nino said with a smile. “Have a very nice day, alright?”

“You too. Greet Oh-chan from us. We miss him.”

“He and Sho prepare a feast for us when exams are over,” Nino grinned. “And a big party for you for finishing school.”

Aiba giggled as he nodded and watched Nino skip down the stairs to apparate to his and Ohno’s home. 

Ohno was standing in the entryway, a big package of chocolates in his hands with Kairy around his shoulders wearing a bow-tie. 

Nino giggled as he saw them. “You two are absolutely ridiculous,” he chuckled as he pushed off his shoes to then step up to them to kiss Ohno lovingly and then pet Kairy’s head.

“Ready for our date?”

Nino groaned as he remembered Aiba’s pleading face and Jun’s shy one whenever he thought of his crush on Aiba. 

“Not yet. Aiba panicked,” he said. 

“So what do you have in mind?”

“Can you draw a quick sketch on a card for Jun?”

“What about?”

“Just something with “Be my Valentine”. So that it looks beautiful. I can just get a white one, but that seems wrong.”

“I can do that,” Ohno agreed as he kissed him on top of the nose. “You are very sweet to help your friend, you know?”

“Aiba would whine for weeks if I don’t help him,” Nino denied. His cheeks were hot as he ran up into their bedroom, closing the door and putting up a barrier so that Ohno wouldn’t be able to listen in. 

He sighed deeply as he moved his wand so that a box appeared in front of him. It was small and not perfect and would probably last just one time playing, but it would do. He let his guitar appear, before settling down and singing the song he had wrote. He spelt the box close and then headed out to the living room. 

“Do you have some paper?”

“Is that okay?”

“Cute,” Nino said with a grin as he saw the picture of a turtle and a dog. He put it on top of the box and scribbled down a note for Aiba, before looking at Ohno. 

“Can you send it to Aiba? I still don’t manage to do that. It needs to arrive there soon and whole.”

“I can do that,” Ohno agreed quickly. He took the box carefully and then mumbled the spell to send it all to Aiba. When it was done, he looked back at Nino, taking him into his embrace. 

“Now on to our Valentines Day,” he whispered against Nino’s ear. Nino giggled as he moved his head to kiss Ohno properly. 

—

Nino was dazed when he came back to school. He was clutching a sparkling rose in his hands as he wandered to the great hall. 

His eyes went down to the rose now and then, blushing and paling whenever he saw the twinkle on his finger. 

“Nino! Hey Nino!” Aiba yelled, but Nino ignored him. 

He yelled out in shock when someone grabbed him, moving around, his wand in his hand. 

“Relax, it’s me,” Aiba said. 

Nino stopped, blinking at Aiba and Jun in front of him. His eyes wandered down to their intertwined hands, and he grinned softly. “So it worked out?” he asked. 

“Yes, thank you, Nino. The song was perfect. And the card as well,” Jun said as he hugged the card to his chest. “The box disappeared after one time, though. I would love to hear the song again.”

Aiba nodded in excitement.

“I taught Aiba. I think it will be even better if you have him sing it,” Nino mumbled fighting the blush. It was the first time someone else than his classmates praised his songs. “But I’m glad you like it.”

“We did. It was perfect. I’m sure other’s would love such a thing as well.”

Nino grimaced. “Too much work.”

“You could sell them,” Jun interjected.

Nino’s eyes widened at that idea. He should consider it at least. 

“How was your weekend?”

“Good… Perfect actually,” Nino whispered his eyes again falling on the rose. 

“What did he got you?”

“This?” Nino asked, holding up the rose. 

Aiba’s eyes widened as did Jun’s when they saw the rose and the glint on his fingers. 

“That’s a…” Aiba started, and Nino felt his cheeks heat up even worse. He hid his face behind the red petals. The rims of the petals were golden, and it was clear that the rose was enchanted to stay like this forever. Or for as long as the spell on it would last, which Ohno had promised him would be forever. 

“I can’t believe he got you a betrothal rose,” Jun said with a small gasp. “It’s meant only to wilt when the love ends.”

“Oh-chan said it will be this beautiful forever,” he whispered. “Because he never would not love me. He also got me a ring.”

Nino showed them the small golden band around his finger, still not being able to believe that Ohno had asked to marry him when graduation was over next year. But he could believe even less that he had said yes.


	13. Forever

Nino shuddered as he appeared in his childhood home. He still hadn’t fully gotten used to apparating, but it was way faster than any other form of travel. 

“I’m home,” he yelled as he walked to the kitchen from where he could hear sounds. 

Kazuko looked up as she heard him and kissed him on the cheek. “Welcome home, darling,” she greeted with a smile. “I hope you are hungry. I prepared Monjayaki.”

Nino grinned with bright eyes at her words. “Yay,” he said childishly as he clapped his hands. Kazuko rolled her eyes in amusement before she concentrated back on the food she was preparing. 

Nino grinned before he moved around to set the table for them to eat. 

“Your sister will arrive shortly.”

“Oh nice, will Tatsuya be with her?”

“Yes, he was very excited to learn that his beloved uncle will be here today. Will Satoshi come?”

“Around the evening. He has to work until three,” Nino said as he set two more plates for his sister and nephew. 

“How is school?”

“Good, we are mostly studying for final exams,” he said with a sigh. 

“Are you nervous? Keito mentioned that Jun-kun is very nervous,” Kazuko asked as she turned the oven off and turned around. She came over and played with his hair. 

Nino closed his eyes as he relaxed and leant back in the chair and against his mother. It was strange coming home, honestly. He spent most of his time at school. He had come back regularly on the weekends when he had first started boarding school instead of just being a day student. But over the years it had gotten less and less. 

Especially since Ohno wasn’t in school anymore, it got even less. He had spent most of his holidays with his mother and sister before, but now it was mostly in his soon to be home. 

Still, this was home. He still felt the same warmth as he had when he was growing up. It was still like a safety blanket, and the hands of his mother always calmed him down. 

“A bit. I still don’t know exactly what I want to do afterwards. I’m envious. The rest seems to know exactly what they want to do after school…”

“You still have a few weeks to decide. And if nothing else, I’m sure that Satoshi will support you.”

“He said he will, but I want to earn my own living. It’s unfair to leave it all to Oh-chan,” he said with a pout.

“If nothing else, you can find a part-time job,” she said as she tweaked his ear. 

Nino grimaced, but then he nodded. “Yes, true. I forgot about that,” he said with a grin. Kazuko lifted an eyebrow before pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“I changed my opinion,” she declared suddenly clapping her hands. “We will make the monjayaki on the hot plate, instead me making them in the pan.”

Nino pouted but got up to pull out the hot plate from the cupboard and install it on the table for them to use. He was kneeling on the floor to plug in the cable when the door opened. He laughed when a small body lunged onto his back. 

“Uncle!” the small boy yelled tugging at his shirt. 

“Tatsuya,” Nino copied with a chuckle as he stood up, keeping his arms on the back so that he wouldn’t fall down. 

“Say hello to your grandmother,” his sister scolded the boy who hugged Nino around the neck. 

“Hello, grandma!” 

Kazuko chuckled as he came over to kiss his cheek. “Hello, sweetheart.”

Nino grinned as he greeted his sister before depositing Tatsuya on his high-chair. 

“I’m hungry,” he declared as he sat down. 

“Me too,” Tatsuya agreed readily as he grinned brightly at the oldest woman who put the ingredients on the table. They settled down for their lunch and afterwards Nino was begged by his nephew to play with him which he, of course, did without complaints. 

— 

Satoshi made sure to concentrate on Nino’s old room to apparate into. It was always strange to suddenly stand in a place full of non-wizard people, and he didn’t want to scare Nino’s family.

He knew these were the most important persons in Nino’s life, after all. 

“I give up,” Nino cried out, hiding the laughter in his voice rather badly. Ohno chuckled as he opened the door to the living room, greeting Nino’s mother calmly. He saw Nino lying on the floor with Tatsuya on top of him a stick pointing at Nino’s chest. Tatsuya giggled before he jumped up and around Nino. 

“I defeated beast!” he giggled, shouting when suddenly Nino moved, catching Tatsuya around the hips and tickling the boy until he collapsed into himself on his lap. 

“My brave hero,” Nino said with a smile. He looked up when he heard Ohno’s chuckle, smiling happily. 

“Hello, babe,” Ohno whispered as he pecked his lips.

“How was work?”

“Good. Tatsuya, look what I brought,” he said, and with a flutter of his hand, there was a bag of cookies. 

Tatsuya’s eyes brightened as he grabbed them before Nino took the bag and pulled out two of the cookies before handing the rest over to his sister. “That’s enough for now,” he said, handing them over to the boy who happily started munching on them and sat down at the low table because his mother had more than once told him not to eat and run around or play at the same time.

“I also brought a cake for us later,” he said to Nino, and the two women grinned happily.

“Help me up?” Nino said, and Ohno smiled as he took his hands to pull him up. Nino sighed happily when Ohno tugged him to the armchair and pulled him on his lap. 

He leant his head against Ohno’s shoulder, listening to the others talk while watching Tatsuya who had taken his colouring book when he realised that the adults were settling down. 

—

Jun sighed as he read the same sentence for the twentieth time and then closed the book. 

“What’s up?”

“I feel like my brain has turned to mush,” Jun said as he leant back. He moved his neck a few times to loosen the tension in his shoulders.

“Break?” Toma said with a small groan from the other side of the room. 

Nino giggled as he marked the page he was reading and put the book down. His eyes wandered over today’s small sketch of Ohno that he had put beside his rose on the desk. “Let’s have some snacks and then turn in for the night. We should be careful as to not hurt your brains.”

“Brat,” Toma said as he threw his brush at Nino’s head who easily evaded it.

Jun rolled his eyes as he stood and stretched out his back. They went to the kitchen to get some snacks and then back to their dorm to relax and just talk. 

“Will you move in with Masaki?” Toma asked Jun curiously. 

“No,” Jun said with a sigh. “I will go back to my father’s home after graduation. He lives close to the university.”

Toma hummed in understanding. “Yeah, I will go back to the family home as well. Erika is looking forward to it. She is still only a day student,” Toma grinned at the thought of his little sister who was the baby of the family. 

Nino’s thoughts wandered back to Ohno and moving in with him at the end of school. It was a strange thought, honestly. Living together for a week or two was something else. Ohno always made sure to be at home as much as he could and concentrated mostly on his needs. 

It probably would change living together fully. 

“When will the marriage be, Nino?” Toma asked suddenly, making him blink. 

“What?”

“I can’t believe that you will soon be married,” he added with a hum. “For me, it would be way too early. But you and Ohno are like soul mates in those children’s books. Made for each other since you were small.”

Nino grimaced at those words. “We haven’t talked about it yet,” he said in the end. 

“I thought Ohno would want to do it shortly after school ends,” Jun said in surprise, and Nino shrugged uncomfortably. 

“Yes, but he said I should just concentrate on finals,” he mumbled. The truth was that they talked about it sometimes. But Nino didn’t care much about the ceremony. He also didn’t know if how wizard weddings worked. All that mattered was that Ohno would stay with him.

“He’s right, I suppose,” Toma hummed.

Jun nodded with an amused grin. “You want top marks, so I understand.” 

“Yes, and that’s why I will go to sleep now. My first lesson is early tomorrow,” Nino mumbled as he got up to go to the bathroom and change into his nightclothes. When he climbed into bed, he let the low murmurs of Toma’s and Jun’s conversation lull him to sleep.

— 

“Hey, Kazu?”

“Mh, what is it, Satoshi?” Nino asked as he looked up from the cards he was playing with. 

“What do you think of a wedding in the snow?”

“Huh?” Nino laid his head back and stared up at the other man who was preparing their dinner.

“A winter wedding,” Ohno said with a chuckle. “You would look beautiful in the snow. And it always reminds me of you.”

“I don’t mind,” Nino said after a while. “But our first holidays were in the winter.”

“True.”

Nino stayed silent for a moment before getting to his feet and walking over to the kitchen. He hugged Ohno around the waist and pressed his face against his shoulder. “Dinner ready?”

“Not yet. What’s up?”

“Nothing, can I stay like this?”

“Of course,” Ohno allowed easily as he continued to prepare the vegetables and wash the rice. 

“Oh-chan is it bad that I’m scared of moving in?”

“No, I’m nervous as well. I got used to living here alone. Accommodating to you living here as well will be an adventure. But one I’m looking forward to.”

“What if we fight?”

“Then we fight, run off to different places and come back after we have cooled down. Same as in school.”

“I don’t want you to hate me.”

“I never would,” Ohno said as he tugged him around to look into his eyes. “I just have one request. To never go to bed or travelling without making up, okay?”

Nino looked at him and relaxed slowly. He kissed him on the lips as Ohno let go of his chin. “Okay, I think, I can do that.”

“Good, me too. Other things on your mind?”

“Work… I still don’t know what I want to do, and please don’t say that you can support me fully. I don’t want that.”

“I know. I will look for job openings around, okay?”

Nino smiled more brightly at that and nodded. “Yes, thank you. Now my dinner, pretty please?”

“On it, set the table and it’ll be finished soon.”

Nino chuckled as he let go of him and left to do as he was told. 

—

Nino was brimming proudly as he dressed into his golden robes that evening. Jun tried hard to make a joke about it, but Nino looked so genuinely happy that it was hard to make a remark. 

“We did it,” Toma cheered as he played his arms around their shoulders. 

“Finally,” Jun grinned while Nino nodded. 

“And we should head out,” he realised when there was a call at the door for them to gather. They found their places between the other students and went out. Nino tried hard not to search for Ohno and his family. He knew that Ohno had brought his sister, brother in law and even his nephew while his mother had come with Jun’s father. 

Nino knew that he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the ceremony if he looked at them, and he didn’t want that. This was his graduation, and he wanted to enjoy it. He listened more closely to the speech of their director than he had ever done, and even if he knew it was the same speech as every year, it was somehow more enticing. 

It seemed to be too fast until he was called up to the stage to get his graduation certificate and shook the hands of his teachers. When the ceremony was over, it didn’t take long until a small bundle of joy collided with his side. 

“Congratulations, uncle,” Tatsuya cried out in joy. He ruffled his hair as he pressed him closer to his body before picking him up. Tatsuya settled on his side, his arms around Nino’s shoulders and his legs around his waist. 

“Thank you,” he said. “Where is the rest?”

“We are here, congratulations, Kazu,” Ohno said with a chuckle.

Nino was brimming at the words of Ohno and accepted the congratulatory terms of the rest as well as the kisses from his mother and sister. Ohno stayed by the side during that and then put an arm around Nino’s waist to kiss his temple. 

“I’m very proud of you. You got your golden robes,” he teased Nino who blushed slightly. 

“They look good, right?” he asked then with sparkling eyes. Ohno nodded, kissing him again until Tatsuya tugged at his robe.

“What’s up?” Nino asked the boy who pouted slightly. 

“I’m hungry,” he whined. Ohno grinned as he led Nino to the buffet. 

“Let’s see if there is something you would like,” the man said, motioning for the rest to follow them. “Ever had frog legs?” he asked the boy in a teasing voice when Tatsuya scrunched up his face. 

“I want normal food!”

“For wizards it is. As is slime and spider legs,” he said with serious eyes. 

Nino bit his lip as to not to laugh when Tatsuya looked outright disgusted when Ohno continued with fake herbs and strange animals. 

“Uncle Kazu! I don’t wanna eat eyeballs,” he whined in the end. 

“Where do eyeballs come from?” he asked while chuckling. “Did Satoshi tell you that?”

Ohno shook his head, silently laughing as he looked over the food and prepared a plate for his lover and nephew. Both liked similar things, so it was easy. 

“Shall I take him?” 

“Nah, it’s fine, right?” Nino asked the boy who grinned.

“Yup, daddy, I share with uncle Kazu. He holds me and the plate. I feed us,” he said happily as Nino held the plate and he picked something up to eat and then present Nino with another bite. 

After dinner, Nino put Tatsuya down again, who then proceeded to force his uncle to play with him and dance to the music playing until he was tired and climbed on his father’s lap where he fell asleep.

— 

“God! Finally home,” Nino groaned when he and Ohno arrived at Ohno’s - no their - home. He fell to the sofa with a groan and closed his eyes. 

Ohno chuckled as he walked in after he had put their things in order and watched Nino for a moment. He felt his heart sing at the sight of his younger lover on the sofa, clearly relaxing. 

“What?” Nino asked with a frown as he watched the other looking at him. 

“I just thought about how lucky I am to be in love with you. And how much I love you,” Ohno whispered as he came closer. Nino blushed a dark red when Ohno knelt on the sofa beside him, capturing his face in between his hands and kissing him oh so softly on the lips. 

Nino sighed in the kiss as he closed his eyes. His hands came up to close around his neck, drawing Ohno just a tiny bit closer. Ohno shifted his face so that they fit a bit better together. They were so close like that that Nino could feel the slight shifting of lips on top of his and a shudder went up in his body when Ohno sighed softly at the kiss when their tongues met. 

They kissed for a while until Ohno picked Nino up. Nino giggled into the kiss, tightening his arms around him as Ohno carried him to the bedroom.

—

“I can’t do this,” Nino whined as he tugged at his bow tie. Jun rolled his eyes as he hit his hands to stop him from mussing up his hair. 

He clicked his tongue as he redid the bow tie for him. He then ran his fingers through Nino’s hair to make sure everything was in order. 

“Stop it, or I put a stupefy on you,” Jun threatened. 

Nino snorted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and fell on the sofa with a sigh. “At least then I can’t fall over my own feet when I have to go there.”

“You never fall,” Jun said with a chuckle. 

“I could start now,” Nino mumbled, feeling his cheeks heat up. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. “God, why am I so nervous? It’s just Oh-chan.”

“That’s the answer. It’s Ohno-kun. The most important person in your world.”

Nino looked up at him with a small glare. Jun chuckled as he lifted his hands. 

“It’s true, sorry. But nothing will happen. You won’t stumble.”

“And if I forget my vows?”

“Then you tell him that you love him and that you will take him and stay by his side forever. You don’t need some special vows, you know?”

“I could forget the ceremonial words.”

“Hard to do since you have to repeat them directly after the priest.”

“I’m just panicking for nothing? Is that what you imply?”

“No, you have all right to panic,” he said with a softer face. “But it’s my job to tell you these things to calm you down a bit. I’m sure all panic will dissolve if you see Ohno-kun.”

Nino’s eyes widened, and he jumped to his feet. “If?! What? Isn’t he here yet? J, what do you mean if? Did he tell you he has second thoughts?!”

Jun swore at the panic in Nino’s eyes. He hadn’t thought his words would get that reaction. 

“Not if, when. Sorry, Nino. Ohno-kun is here.”

“Are you sure? How do you know? Did you see him?”

“What’s up?” Aiba’s voice added to Nino’s, making Jun looking up. 

“J said Oh-chan might not be here!”

“Huh? Of course, he is, Nino. I just was there. He begged me to check if you are here,” Aiba said with a shrug of his shoulder. “He is walking holes in the carpet and driving Sho-chan crazy.”

“So he is here?” Nino whispered, his voice not more than a breathy whisper.

“Of course, there is no way he would miss this. So relax. I will go there and tell them you are ready then head out and tell Kazuko-san. She is walking you out there, right?”

“Yes,” Nino said with a small blush. He knew it was uncommon. But he had no father that cared about him and his mother was all he ever needed.

Aiba smiled as he ruffled his hair, making Jun growl. He made a playful panicked look, before pecking his boyfriend on the cheek. “Sorry. You look handsome, though, you know?” 

Jun hit him on the back of the head with a grim smile before Aiba was able to close the door behind him. Jun sighed as he looked back at Nino, making sure he looked okay when there was a knock at the door. 

“Your mother. I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Thanks Jun. For everything.”

“Sure thing. And if you really forget something I will hex it in your mind,” Jun promised with a wink. 

Nino chuckled as he nodded and smiled brighter when Kazuko came in after exchanging a few words with Jun. “Hey, mum.”

“Hello, darling. You look good,” she said. “A bit pale, though. Nervous?”

“Very,” Nino whispered as she closed her arms around him and rocked him a bit from side to side. 

“My baby has grown so much,” she mumbled as she stepped back a little to look into his face. She rubbed his cheek, smiling softly. 

Nino stared at her for a moment before moving closer and hugging her tightly. “Is this the right choice?”

“You love him.”

“Yes,” he whispered. “More than I could ever think possible. When he looks at me like he can’t help himself, I want to be the person he loves so much forever.”

“Then it’s the only choice there ever was, Kazunari. I always knew that you would do whatever you thought right, and I was sure that you would always find the right way.”

Nino smiled a little as he took a deep breath. 

“It’s time. Let’s go. You don’t want to let him wait, right?”

“Right,” Nino whispered. 

Kazuko kissed his forehead as she linked their arms. They stepped out of the room, Nino had gotten ready in and wandered together to the front. Nino’s smile got wider when shortly before him, Ohno appeared in front of the priest, waiting for him. 

His mother squeezed his hands as he handed him over to Ohno, who opened his hands readily when Nino stood in front of him. 

Ohno’s hands were warm around his even if they were slightly wet, showing how nervous Ohno was really even if he looked as calm as ever. 

That knowledge though relaxed him fully. He smiled when Ohno placed a small kiss on his hand before both looked at the man in front of him. For Nino, the whole ceremony was like a dream. A dream where everybody was just a blur with only Ohno in focus. He didn’t remember Ohno’s vows fully, neither did he know if he ever managed to say his correctly, what he remembered was the cheer going up around him when Ohno turned back to him and how their lovely rose on the altar seemed to glow even more brightly then ever.

Nino remembered the dark brown eyes that were so deep and in love as they came closer and the warm, moist lips on his own when his eyes fell closed. It was just a touch of lips against lips, but the fluttering of his heart told him exactly what this really meant. And he knew with certainty that this bond they waved today would really be forever.


	14. Chapter 14

Nino woke to hands massaging the small of his back. He yawned as he rolled to his back and put his arms around his shoulders. He tugged him close, his legs closing around Ohno’s hip as he drew him closer to his body. 

“How are you feeling?” Ohno asked in a soft voice as he moved closer to him, his arms beside his head to peck small kisses on his lips and face. 

Nino giggled as his fingers danced over the warm skin of his lover, his hips moving up to press his middle against Ohno’s middle, who groaned slightly. 

“Like I want to be filled again, it has been too long already,” he whispered as he kissed him again deeply. 

Ohno chuckled into the kiss as his fingers danced over the small of his back. 

“Your wish shall be my command,” he promised as he ducked closer, kissing Nino deeply again. 

It was later that they were lying side by side on the bed. Nino kissed him on the cheek as he nuzzled his shoulder. “And now I need breakfast,” he whined.

Ohno grinned as he caressed his stomach before moving down to press kisses against it and nibbled on his hipbone. “Then we should take a shower.”

“Together?”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Ohno said as he picked Nino up against his protests. Nino shrieked as he held tightly to his shoulders pressing kisses to his lips. 

“You crazy man.”

“Well, you love this crazy man, don’t you?”

“I can’t argue that. I probably am as mad as you for it,” Nino said giggling as he was set on the cold tiles in the bathroom. Ohno started the shower pushing Nino inside after he was sure that it was warmed up. 

“Are you up for visiting the beach today?”

“After you’ve fed me,” Nino agreed. “And you have to make sure I won’t burn.”

“I will,” Ohno said with a smirk on his lips. 

Nino lifted his eyebrow before he hit him softly on the shoulder. “Perv, get your mind out of the gutter.”

“This holiday is for us to enjoy ourselves fully,” Ohno whispered as he tugged him closer again. His lips found Nino’s with ease and his hands ran over his body, washing away the dirt of their earlier activities.

—

Nino sat down under the shade that Ohno had put up for them. Or more likely had paid to use with a pair of sun loungers so that they won’t sit on the sand. 

Nino had vetoed against sitting on the sand after their first day here. The sand had been sticking everywhere and he had hated the feeling. He was glad that Ohno had followed his wishes.

He put the drinks he had bought from the bar down at the small table connecting both sun loungers and set a spell on the glasses so that they would stay cold. 

Ohno had run into the water right after he had bought them their spaces to refresh himself. Nino giggled at the thought of the joyful face of his lover. He sat up, crossing his legs in front of him, before staring out to the sea to try and find his lover in the water. 

A happy smile was on his face when he recognised Ohno cutting through the waves. He looked beautiful, he thought. His skin was sun-kissed and tan, for Nino Ohno looked charming like that. 

He followed Ohno’s figure for a while before the fatigue from the night caught up with him. He drank a bit of his cocktail, before lying down. He closed his eyes and fell to sleep shortly after. 

Nino was awoken cruelly by Ohno who fell on top of him. The cold drops of the water clinging to his skin, soaking him and shocking him with the coldness.

“You brat!” he yelled as his eyes flew open, throwing Ohno off of him, who was giggling like mad when he fell to the sand. 

“You looked too peaceful. I couldn’t help myself,” he teased with a smirk. 

“You’re awful,” Nino said, with a pout on his lips. 

Ohno smiled as he pulled him down a little bit and kissed him on the lips.

“I still love you,” Nino whispered. 

Ohno smiled as he whispered the words back to him before he got up and sat down beside him on the sun lounger. He kissed the side of his lips before lying down with him. He turned on his side and pulled Nino down again so that they fit there together.

— 

“How was work today?” Ohno asked as he greeted Nino at the door. Nino shrugged as he took off the warm coat he was wearing and patted the snow from the back of it. He smiled when he felt Ohno’s warm fingers in his hair as he cleaned it from the snowflakes that had been falling on it. 

“Cold,” Nino mumbled as he kissed him on the lips. “How about your day?”

“Boring, but I cleaned and did all the washing,” he grinned while wriggling his eyebrows. 

Nino giggled as he kissed him again. “My hero,” he sang as he finally moved away so that he could step fully into their small home. Indeed the living room was tidier than it had been for days with both of them working and then being too lazy to do much about household chores. Even doing it all magically was sometimes hard when all they wanted to do was lazing around in each other’s arms. 

“I miss music,” Nino sighed as he sat down on the sofa. It had been over a year since he was out of school and beside of some finger practises really on their free days he hadn’t done much of it. First, it was okay, he had enjoyed to do the other things and have a break after the Finals in that classes, but now he missed it more and more. 

Ohno followed soon, and Nino snuggled up in the arms of the other. “I miss painting,” he agreed at the words and kissed him on the temple. “But I also like working at the bakery. And it’s a steady income.”

“Yes…” Nino sighed as he hid his face at Ohno’s shoulder. His work at the coffee shop down the street was the same even if sometimes he wanted to kill the brats that acted as if they were better than him.

Ohno giggled at the displeased look on his lover’s face and tweaked his nose. “Your mum called. She says hi.”

“Oh did you know she moved in with Jun’s father? Finally. After all these years,” Nino said as he turned around to look into Ohno’s eyes. “They will marry sometime around the next year. Nothing is decided yet, and they want it just to be small and with family only. God, the thought of Jun being my stepbrother then.”

“You both make good brothers,” he grinned as he pecked his nose. “And that will make Aiba your brother in law?”

Nino paled a little bit, but he nodded with a scrunched up nose. How strange it was to think that two of his best friends in school were going to be family then. 

“Don’t make that face. You are happy for your mother, I know you.”

“I am,” Nino agreed after a moment of silence. He rubbed his face before getting up. “Where is Kairy?”

“Out, hunting mice I bet Button is up in the attic sleeping after I made too much noise cleaning and then moving things around.”

“Good, tell her not to bring in half alive mice. They freak me out. She either hunts them outside and plays with them there or brings them in killed if she wants us to praise her,” Nino said with a tired sigh, shivering at the thought, as Ohno caressed his hair softly in long strokes. It was calming, which was good on the one hand but also bad on the other hand because that made him want to take a nap. 

“I thought about your wish to adopt a dog,” Ohno mumbled feeling the other stiffen under him at the mention of dogs. His beloved Haru had died a few years ago, and it still hurt to think of that gentle soul that was his beloved dog. 

“And?”

“I think we should take Kairy when we go look for one. They have to get along, right?”

“Right,” Nino said, feeling like crying as he hugged his husband close to himself. Ohno always knew how to make all of his days unique.

—

“What are you doing?” Ohno asked Nino, who was staring at an old book in concentration. 

“Studying music boxes,” he said as he laid his head on the backrest to look at the other who was standing at the doorway to the garden. Ohno had been checking up on their pets to make sure they were alright and probably tended to the small pond he had made there last summer.

“Why would you do something like that?” Nino shrugged as he put the book to the side. 

“I wanted to give Aiba and Jun something for their fifth anniversary. You remember the song I sent them then?”

“Yes, it was lovely. At least they said so; I didn’t get a chance to listen to it.”

Nino grinned as he winked at him. “Yeah, because it only lasted for three times. I want to make a permanent music box for them. So I’m looking up how to do it. And if I can make it with wizard music. I found out how I make them the non-wizard way.”

“Sounds interesting.”

“Right? It says they can be put into wooden boxes that you can make yourself so you could carve them? Then we can make it a present from both of us.”

Ohno nodded as he climbed onto the couch beside him to put an arm around his shoulders and nuzzle his cheek. “I like that idea.”

Nino grinned as he pulled the book over again, reading the next chapter about how those boxes worked. It would probably need a few trials before they got it right, but he was excited, and with Ohno by his side, everything was possible.

—

“How are you both doing?”

“We are doing fine, mum,” Nino said as he laid down on the sofa. He stretched out his back with a little groan. He was still working at the coffee shop, but he did fewer hours now since Aiba and Jun had persuaded them to try and make their music boxes a business. They were popular with teens from the school, but that was not enough to make the business flourish, sadly. 

“You’re not overworking yourselves?”

“No, don’t worry,” Nino said with a chuckle. “I just didn’t sleep that much last night, so I’m a little tired.”

“Ah Satoshi’s fault?”

A small grin appeared on his face as he giggled at the words. “Yup, he kept me awake yesterday. It was nice, though.”

She snorted a little at those words, and he smiled. He knew that years ago, he would have blushed at these words but not anymore. 

“Hey mum?”

“What is it, sweetheart?” 

“Does the offer from Jun’s father still stand? Would he really lend us money to start our own business?”

“Yes, if you can write down a plan that he can check over. He won’t invest blindly. Do you have an idea?”

“Sort off. I haven’t talked it over with Oh-chan yet though. So I can’t tell you yet. Just asking if it was just an offer at the spur of the moment.”

“It wasn’t. So what do you think about children?” his mother said suddenly and with the calm way she spoke she surprised him. He sat up in shock, spluttering and coughing.

“What?! Are you?”

“God no, I’m way too old to have another child. I meant you and Satoshi.”

Nino blinked as his mouth fell open. His mother never even had attempted to talk about them having children, and he and Ohno had never talked about it either. 

“How… Why… Where?” he asked, not knowing what to ask and how to articulate what was going on in his mind, which was a surprise since he was blank for the moment. “What?”

“Satoshi is almost thirty. So I thought it was logical for you to take that next step. Or at least think about it if you want children. And you don’t want to be old parents.”

“Mum we never talked about it. I don’t know if Satoshi even wants children. I don’t know if I want children to be honest.”

“I don’t want to put pressure on you, but think about it, okay sweetheart?”

“Honestly I think after this talk it will be impossible for me not to think about it,” he said ironically. His mother laughed softly, and he rubbed his forehead. 

“I should finish now and start on dinner. I call you if I know anything about the shop and children. How should we get them anyway?” he grumbled more to himself.

“Jun and Masaki said there are different possibilities for two male wizards. I’m sure Satoshi will know.”

“Maybe. Well, anyway I have to go, talk to you again.”

“Bye. Take care. Both of you.”

“Sure, you as well.”

—

Ohno found Nino on the veranda in the evening. The younger man was staring across the garden where their new dog was running around. The dog brought the ball that Nino threw into the garden back, before rushing off again. 

Nino seemed deep in thought and he smiled softly before stepping closer and sitting down beside him. 

“What are you doing?”

“Throwing a ball,” Nino mumbled after a while, blinking as he realised that he wasn’t alone anymore. He leant against him with a scrunched up nose. “I forgot to make dinner,” he groaned.

“It’s fine. What is in your mind?”

“My mother…”

Ohno frowned at those words, rubbing his cheek softly. “Is something wrong with her? Is she ill?”

Nino shook his head before he sighed. “No, she is good. She says hello. She just mentioned something that kept me thinking.”

“Thinking about what? You need to tell me I can’t read your mind…”

“You could try to read it,” Nino mumbled, blushing under Ohno’s gaze. 

“I could try, but I swore never to do it to friends and not to my lover,” he said seriously. Occlumentik wasn’t something you joked about.

“I know sorry,” Nino said with a groan, rubbing his nose against the shirt Ohno was wearing. He sighed softly. It smelled like sweat and bread. It was a smell that he always connected with home. 

“What were you talking about? Or should I call your mother and ask her myself?”

Nino shook his head as he pressed his lips against Ohno’s shoulder. 

“What do you think of children?”

“They are little humans?” Ohno asked with a small smirk. Nino groaned as he hit him, weakly against the chest. 

“No, please be serious. Did you ever think about having children?”

“Yes,” Ohno said slowly as he nodded and put his arm around Nino when he felt the younger stiffen. 

“But I know that you have never thought about them. So I never brought it up. Was that what you and your mother talked about?”

“Yes, she said that it was time for us to think about if we want children. Do you want them?”

Ohno hummed as he tugged him closer and pressed his lips against his hair. He knew that Nino deserved and wanted a real answer and not something to appease him. He sighed in the end as he buried his nose into his hair. 

“Yes, I would love to raise children with you. You would make a cute daddy,” he mumbled as he kissed him. To be honest, he had always thought that if Nino’s children were just half as adorable as he had been when they met, they would melt his heart as little toddlers. Not that that would be possible now.

“How about you, love?”

“I don’t know. But I’ve thought about it a lot know that mum mentioned it.”

“I see. Kazu, you should think about it before you make a decision. I’m open to both, raising children with you or just stay with you alone forever. Both are fine with me.”

“Mhm…” Nino mumbled. It was good to know that but he knew that he would take Ohno’s wishes in consideration. Everything else would make him an awful husband. “Okay thank you. What should we do about dinner?”

“How about we take this opportunity to dine out? It had been an age since we did that last,” Ohno asked with a smile, rubbing his cheek. 

“Yeah, last time was our anniversary,” Nino agreed, now smiling a little more freely.

—

“What do you think?” Nino asked as he moved from one foot to the other and back. Ohno blinked as he looked at the plan for their new business with a small sigh. 

“It looks like a very good idea,” he mumbled with a frown.

“But?”

“But, we decided to try for a child, Kazu. And it will be hectic then. I don’t know if it’s smart to start a new business when other changes are awaiting us already.”

Nino’s face fell, as his eyes wandered over the paper where he had written down the ideas for their joined business. It was meant to be a coffee shop where Ohno could sell his baked goods, and he could make drinks for their guests. But that was only one small part of the business (soon hopefully at least). The main component would be their music boxes and the offers of individualised songs for their loved ones. 

“So that means we shouldn’t?”

“That means that we should be careful. We definitely can’t do our part-time jobs and start this. That would be way too much. And what about the online shop?”

“The online shop needs to stand still. It brings money and people get to know about the boxes through that. But we can advert for our shop over the site so that people could come and visit. Maybe people not sure if the boxes are really worth their price would come to visit and check them out.”

“True... What about the child, though?”

Nino sighed as he tugged at his hair. he frowned as he thought about the question for a while. “We’ll get the loan from mum and Junnosuke. Junnosuke said he is fine if we just pay a small portion back monthly. And he said if we needed to skip payments because of necessities for a child it will be okay as long as we can explain in a way he can accept. Mum said that if nothing else I will get part of my inheritance to pay it back. The house here is paid for by your grandfather. If we are careful, the money we have already saved would be enough for a while.”

Ohno nodded with a frown. “But we can’t both be in a shop working with a child.”

Nino nodded as he tilted his head slightly to one side. “I can work from home. I don’t need much space for creating music,” he mumbled. “And then we can try to employ someone to help out in the shop. As long as there is no child, we can work together and make a base to build upon.”

Ohno sighed as he looked at the hopeful face of his lover. It took a moment, but then he nodded and stepped closer. He received his face in between his hands and kissed his lips. “Okay, for you, we can try,” he promised. 

Nino smiled happily hugging him tightly around the neck as he pressed his lips against Ohno’s own. “Thank you!”

—

Nino stared in wonder at the little twins that laid in their cots in the hospital. He held his breath as he watched the tiny heads and the wriggling arms. 

Ohno chuckled as he saw the young men beside him and hugged him tighter around the waist as he drew him closer to his body. He kissed his cheek as he watched the man with soft, warm eyes. 

“Daddies are you ready to meet with your little bundles of joy?” a healer asked, and Ohno nodded with a smile on his face when Nino’s breath hitched, and the fingers closed tightly around his shirt almost pinching his skin under it. 

Nino had been very nervous during the whole birthing process after their surrogate mother had happily told them that she was pregnant with twins.

They hadn’t been allowed inside the room during the birth and Ohno was sure that Nino had walked holes into the floor as he had waited outside the operating room, listening to the cries of the woman who gifted them with these two wonders. 

Nino’s steps were hesitant as they entered the nursery of the hospital. The babies had been bathed and checked for any illnesses before they were put into the clothes Nino and Ohno had chosen very carefully for them as their first outfits. 

A very soft smile appeared on Nino’s lips as he finally stood beside one of the cots and his fingertips ran over the baby blue hat on top of one of the babies. Ohno was sure that the touch was so soft that it would not be possible for the baby boy to sense. 

God, his husband, was the cutest man in existence, Ohno was sure of it.

“They are adorable,” Nino whispered when the tiny fingers of the baby opened and closed as he flailed around blindly. Nino grinned as the boy caught his finger in his hand, shaking it weakly around. 

“Hey little one, welcome to our family,” Nino breathed softly as he knelt on the floor to be on the same height as the cot and looked down at the boy with loving eyes. 

Ohno shook his head as he stroke the cheek of their little girl. He could understand the feelings running through Nino since he was just as smitten by their children as the other man was. “They are perfect.”

“Yes,” Nino whispered, wiping his moist eyes. He couldn’t believe that he had ever been hesitant about having children, he thought as he lifted his eyes to look at his two babies and the love of his life. Everything was perfect.

THE END

A/N: I really hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it :D

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this, I want you to look up my Fluff-Bingo in my DW and look at those prompts I have left and tell me which prompts I could use for this story. I want to write until they grow up. The second pairing will probably be Sakumoto (Or Aiba x Jun? I can’t decide) Thank you <3\. I'm also sorry because during Nino-Exchange I realised that the meeting between Nino and Ohno is a bit similar to one of those stories :( Which I didn't know because I wrote this a long time ago already (before I stopped posting for a while, really)


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